Natsume Yō stood before Uchiha Yūsuke like a devil in human skin. His pale right hand reached forward, hovering toward Yūsuke's face.
And Yūsuke—an Uchiha of all people—couldn't even resist. His body trembled uncontrollably, eyes wide, pupils constricting to pinpoints, every inch of him drenched in fear.
"Kneel."
"Bark like a dog."
Yō's lips curled in mockery as he activated the Soul Control Curse. Yūsuke's body dropped to the ground instantly, forced onto his knees before Yō. Tears of humiliation ran down his face as his pride shattered. Then—like a beaten mutt—he actually started barking.
In that moment, all of his confidence, all of his dignity, collapsed completely under Yō's feet.
Three minutes later—
"Honestly, I'd love to kill you here and now. But you got lucky, didn't you? Born into the Uchiha clan, born standing higher than most people could ever dream."
Yō sighed, feigning pity. "Guess I'll let you crawl away after this little lesson."
He opened Yūsuke's scroll—Earth Scroll, exactly what he needed—then vanished with a flicker of body technique.
But did he really "do nothing"? Impossible. This was the same Yō who had already slaughtered Yūsuke's five guards. There was no way he'd leave this arrogant Uchiha alive. First give him hope, then crush him into despair—that was far more entertaining.
"Yō… Natsume Yō! I'll make you pay for today's disgrace! I swear it on the name Uchiha Yūsuke!"
Only after Yō had been gone for several minutes did Yūsuke manage to climb shakily to his feet, face twisted with venomous hatred.
"Heh… talking behind my back? That's a bad habit."
Nearly a kilometer away, Yō stopped walking. A cold smile tugged at his lips.
"Aaagh!"
Just as Yūsuke was fantasizing about revenge, his skull felt like molten lava had been poured inside. His knees gave out and he crashed to the ground. Pain exploded through every nerve, burning so violently he smashed his head into the dirt again and again, trying in vain to escape the agony.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His forehead split open, blood streaming. His hands clawed into the earth until flesh and bone tore apart, yet he couldn't stop. The pain was unbearable, suffocating.
"Na…tsu…me… Yō…!"
Covered in blood, his fingers mangled, Yūsuke finally blacked out.
"…He lasted this long before fainting? Hmph. Guess a so-called genius of the Uchiha isn't completely worthless after all."
Yō cut off the torture with a flicker of thought and strolled toward the exit, calm as if he'd just taken a walk in the park.
Back where Yūsuke lay unconscious, a shadow clone appeared. Without hesitation, it drove a kunai straight into his heart.
"Ghh—!"
Yūsuke's eyes snapped open one last time. Terror. Resentment. Unwillingness. A flicker of longing for life. Then—all of it faded into emptiness.
The clone erased all traces, disposed of the corpse, and dissolved back into Yō.