Yurui could clearly tell that the person in front of him was not truly skilled with a blade. They were holding on only because their speed and strength were overwhelming. That realization gave him a sliver of confidence.
"If I just have a bit more time…"
Yet as their blades continued to clash, that thought slowly vanished. Yurui's expression darkened as he noticed something deeply wrong. The opponent's blade was becoming sharper with every exchange.
It was as if his own weapon was being used to hone the enemy's. The idea sent a chill down his spine.
"Is he using me to refine his swordsmanship?"
The thought had barely formed when it was already too late. There was a soft tearing sound. Warm blood slid down and soaked across his face.
A thin red line crept over his skin, splitting open bit by bit until it stopped at his cheekbone. The sharp pain made Yurui's pupils shake. In only a few minutes, the other man's technique had advanced from clumsy to precise enough to cut him.
"Enough."
The hoarse voice snapped him out of his shock. Yunchuan Hyuga held the blade in one hand while raising the other to form seals, striking again at the same time. Their blades collided once more with a piercing shriek.
This time, no sparks flew. Instead, blue lightning burst out between them.
Lightning Release·Chidori Blade.
Crackling arcs of electricity filled the air. Lightning crawled along Yunchuan Hyuga's Short Sword and surged straight into the connected Kunai. The current raced through the metal without mercy.
"Hngh!"
The pain of lightning flooding his body forced Yurui's mouth open, yet no sound came out. His body was numb and unresponsive, every muscle locked in place. Strength drained away, along with the calm he had relied on until now.
Fear of failure flooded in, followed by fear of dying without understanding why. No, no, not like this. He had been only one step away, just one final step.
Who was this man? Who exactly was standing before him?
Yunchuan Hyuga did not give him time to sink further into terror. He slowly raised a palm, and mental power gathered there, forming a blue sphere of light. The glow cast faint reflections across the frozen scene.
Mental Puppet was the ability he awakened when his Kekkei Genkai reached 20.1 percent in its second stage. Through it, Toneri Otsutsuki could control another's will and read their thoughts. Now, that same power rested in Yunchuan Hyuga's hand.
"Just sleep for a while."
He leaned closer, smiling faintly as he met Yurui's terrified gaze. "Your mission will be completed by me, using your body." The hunter had already become the hunted.
Thud.
As the words fell, Yunchuan Hyuga pressed his palm into Yurui's chest. Ripples spread outward, as if his hand and the glowing sphere were sinking into thick mud. Moments later, he stepped back and withdrew his hand, and the Lightning Release Chakra around his blade faded away.
Yurui stood there without moving. His eyes slowly lost focus, the light inside them fading. He looked like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Interesting." Yunchuan Hyuga's eyes flickered slightly. "So this is how it feels to use it for the first time." He could clearly sense a connection forming between himself and Yurui.
The sensation reminded him of the Yamanaka Clan's mind transfer technique. That technique focused the user's spirit into a single point and projected it outward to seize control of another body. It was only a C-rank support Ninjutsu, with strict limits on range, accuracy, and risk.
If the mental energy missed its target, it could not return quickly, leaving the user defenseless. Injury to the target could also rebound onto the caster, making it extremely dangerous. But the Mental Puppet once used by Toneri Otsutsuki on Hinata Hyuga, and now held by Yunchuan Hyuga, was entirely different.
It was more like creating a Shadow Clone using a portion of Chakra and mental power to form an independent existence. There was no distance limit, and control was as natural as moving one's own arm. The puppet could even act with limited autonomy.
"If I get the chance, I should collect a few more puppets."
The thought passed through his mind, but his priority was still the Hyuga Clan. He tested his control, and the empty gaze in front of him sharpened again. In the next moment, Yurui dropped to one knee.
"Master."
"Go," Yunchuan Hyuga said softly. "Go do what you are supposed to do."
"Yes, Master."
The figure called 'Yurui' bowed his head, then rose and vanished using Shunshin. After he left, Yunchuan Hyuga remained standing in the layered shadows of the forest. The night was silent, broken only by faint water sounds and leaves stirring.
After a while, light footsteps approached from afar. Hizashi Hyuga stepped out from the shadows behind him. He already knew why he had been called here, and the face identical to his brother's was filled with complicated emotion.
In the darkness, Yunchuan Hyuga raised his head. "The time has come," he said. "Are you ready?"
Crack… crack…
Outside the town house of the Hyuga Clan head, a black figure landed on the roof without a sound. He listened to the restless movement inside, then raised his hand to form seals and used Genjutsu, sending unreal white feathers drifting into the room.
The heavy breathing inside gradually became calm. The black figure slipped in as quietly as a raccoon, and saw a young girl sleeping peacefully under the blanket. He did not waste time, tucked her under his arm, and flipped out of the residence in a single motion.
He had not gone far when a figure stepped out from the courtyard gate ahead. "…"
Hiashi Hyuga looked at the masked intruder before him, then noticed Hinata Hyuga in the man's arm. His normally cold face sank, and anger surged up the moment his bottom line was touched.
Seeking death.
Without hesitation, Hiashi Hyuga activated Byakugan, the veins near his eyes bulging as he rushed forward with a raised hand. The first palm strike was avoided, but in his eyes the movement was clumsy and slow.
Bang.
The second palm, driven with full Chakra, struck squarely into the intruder's abdomen. He felt the blow shatter the internal pathways without resistance.
Blood spilled from the man's mouth as his body dropped to its knees. Hiashi Hyuga smoothly took Hinata Hyuga from his arms and let the intruder collapse forward onto the ground.
"So weak."
As the anger in his chest faded, Hiashi Hyuga frowned. He suddenly realized the intruder was far weaker than expected, as if he had come here to die on purpose.
With this level of strength, he dared to sneak into the Hyuga Clan compound to kidnap the direct daughter of the Main Family. Was he some reckless bounty ninja tempted by money?
But the next moment, a cool sting spread across his forehead. Warm liquid slid down from his brow ridge.
Hiashi Hyuga raised his hand and touched his forehead, feeling a thin line across it. There was a sweet, unfamiliar scent, and his fingers came away warm and sticky.
"This is… blood?"
He stared at the corpse on the ground. With his lack of real combat experience in Konoha, he only now noticed the Kunai still clutched in the body's hand.
How was this possible?
When had he been injured?
This foolish intruder had not even endured two of his strikes.