Looking at the pitch-black fog, as if it wanted to absorb one's soul, Konan instinctively took half a step back.
What kind of technique is this? Why does it look so strange?
Mangetsu Hōzuki felt a sudden sense of danger as he witnessed this unexpected change. His pupils narrowed as he shouted loudly.
"Everyone, retreat..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the sound of successive screams.
The black mist obscured his and Fuguki Suikazan's vision. Neither of them knew what was happening within it.
All they could hear were the sounds of flesh being pierced.
The air was filled with an overwhelmingly nauseating stench of blood.
Combined with the dark, cloud-covered sky, the two felt, for the first time in their lives, an oppressive sense of suffocation.
Don't be fooled by Fuguki Suikazan's rough exterior; he was actually a cunning and treacherous individual at heart.
His small eyes darted around, already preparing to make a quick escape.
There was no choice. The psychological shadow cast by that blood-red, steam-emitting Konoha chunin during the Third Shinobi World War was still etched into his memory.
And this time, the situation seemed even harder to handle than back then.
How many more monsters are there in Konoha?
Just as Fuguki Suikazan was about to run away, he suddenly noticed the black fog in front of him gradually dispersing.
What appeared before his eyes was a scene as tragic as hell itself.
Nearly a hundred Kirigakure shinobi were now all lying on the ground, the earth stained crimson with blood.
"How... is this possible!?"
Fuguki Suikazan exchanged a glance with Mangetsu Hōzuki, and both saw disbelief in each other's eyes.
From the moment the black mist appeared, not even two minutes had passed.
And in such a short time, nearly a hundred Kirigakure shinobi had been completely wiped out?
Even the Third Hokage couldn't possibly have achieved something like this.
What had happened within that black mist?
Up until now, they hadn't even seen their enemy's face.
"Hello there."
The light laughter that reached their ears made Mangetsu Hōzuki and Fuguki Suikazan react instinctively. Without hesitation, they swung their blades toward the source of the voice.
To their terror, though they felt someone speaking right into their ears, when they turned around, not even a shadow could be seen.
That's right, even those Konoha shinobi, along with the Akatsuki member Konan in her black cloak adorned with red clouds, had completely vanished from their sight. The surrounding environment had transformed into pure darkness.
"Genjutsu!"
Mangetsu Hōzuki wasted no time and quickly formed a seal.
Fuguki Suikazan, lacking his companion's level of strength, resorted to his own method.
His Samehada blade suddenly turned its head and bit down hard on his shoulder.
Pain, too, could be used to break free from a genjutsu.
"Still not enough, huh... what a pity."
As the voice rang in their ears, the scene before Mangetsu Hōzuki and Fuguki Suikazan's eyes finally returned to normal.
Standing before them was a young man in black clothing, the fan-shaped clan crest also printed on his back. His appearance was strikingly handsome.
Night Star looked at Fuguki Suikazan and Mangetsu Hōzuki, smiling lightly.
"It seems that keeping shinobi of your level trapped indefinitely in my genjutsu is still beyond my capability."
The two of them didn't hesitate for a second. Without uttering a single word, they turned and began to flee.
No way.
A strong individual capable of killing nearly a hundred Kirigakure shinobi in an instant was not someone they could contend with.
Mangetsu Hōzuki utilized his clan's secret technique, transforming into a pool of water and fleeing along the ground.
As he passed by the corpses of the Kirigakure shinobi, he noticed a detail.
Each of the fallen shinobi's wounds appeared to have been inflicted by kunai or shuriken.
From the scattered ninja tools on the ground, Mangetsu Hōzuki is pupils contracted sharply, and he was so shocked that his Water Body Technique nearly unraveled.
The cause of death for this group of shinobi was mutual slaughter!
Could this be the effect of that black mist?
Such an eerie ability must be reported to Mizukage Yagura as soon as possible!
Watching the two flee at high speed, Night Star showed no intention of pursuing them.
He turned and looked at Konan, who stood nearby, and spoke with a gentle smile.
"Who are you? Or should I ask, are you an enemy as well?"
Of course, Night Star recognized Konan, but he wouldn't show any slip of emotion in front of the other Konoha shinobi.
Simultaneously, he began to update the content of his long-unused journal.
On the day he left Konoha, the reward he received for his diary's cumulative evaluation was a moderate chakra enhancement.
Without that enhancement, based on his original chakra levels, it would have been very difficult to unleash a black mist capable of enveloping nearly a hundred people.
During the journey to the Kirigakure frontline, since nothing much happened, the journal's evaluation naturally wasn't high, and his daily rewards were only fifty ryo.
That black mist was Night Star's original ninjutsu creation, called Yin Release: Illusion Mist Technique.
Calling it mist might not be entirely accurate.
In essence, the black mist was constructed from Night Star's extraordinary mental energy, surpassing that of ordinary shinobi, and manifested as genjutsu energy composed of Yin-natured chakra.
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