The fissures in the earth began to close, the surrounding trees regained their natural shape, and the feeling returned to his limbs—but Shinku knew he had lost.
"What... what kind of Genjutsu is this?" he gasped, forcing out one last question. It was the only thing that mattered to him in his final monts.
Shisui Abura stood a few paces away. He didn't offer a direct answer. Instead, he raised his hand, releasing a small insect. It looked like a common bedbug—wingless, silent, and appearing sowhat sluggish as it crawled across Shisui's fingertip.
Shinku never got his answer. The insects sward, and he was utterly annihilated. Not even a fragnt of bone remained.
The man hailed by Konoha as a master of illusions had fallen, defeated in the very field where he was supposed to be peerless. He died without ever understanding why his "Release" had failed him.
Shisui didn't linger. He recalled his swarm, perford a sequence of hand signs, and summoned a fresh platform of Aero-Bugs. He took to the sky once more, streaking toward the horizon.
Soon, he would be beyond the forest—beyond the reach of Konoha's surveillance. He was already a rogue ninja in all but geographic location, but the true success of his defection was now within sight.
With the Great Ninja War raging on four fronts, most of the village's elite were deployed at the borders.
There were few high-level combatants left in the Leaf, and since Shisui had spent years playing the part of a diocre Genin, he hadn't been a priority.
Based on his knowledge of the Third Hokage, Shisui knew the old man wouldn't personally give chase. Shinku Yuhi was likely the final hurdle.
He hadn't defeated Shinku with "true" Genjutsu. The wingless insect on his finger—the Stink-Blight—secreted a unique pheromone.
During their close-quarters Taijutsu exchange, this pheromone had rubbed off on Shinku and entered his system through his breath.
The scent was so faint that unless a ninja specialized specifically in olfactory tracking, it was undetectable. It didn't disrupt chakra; instead, it acted directly on the nervous system, severing the brain's ability to process visual reality.
By the ti Shinku felt "unwell" or saw hallucinations, it was already too late.
Shisui's B-rank Genjutsu was rely the trigger. It created the feeling of being in an illusion, while the heavy lifting was done by a ntal hallucinogen that had been accumulating in Shinku's body.
The pain Shinku felt from being eaten was half-illusion, half-real. The Erosion Bugs were physically there, but the toxin ensured the victim couldn't distinguish between the ntal assault and the physical one.
The wind whistled past his ears as the forest floor receded behind him. Soon, the dense canopy gave way to open fields and small clusters of farmhouses.
Shisui looked back toward the direction of the Hidden Leaf. He felt no nostalgia, no longing—only a profound, weightless sense of relief.
A sudden breeze swept over the fields, making the green rice stalks sway. It carried the scent of fresh grass and earth, brushing against Shisui's face and tossing his long hair.
Under the bright, clear sun, the damp mists of the forest were a distant mory. Shisui unfastened his Konoha forehead protector and tossed it carelessly into the dirt below. He pulled the tie from his hair, letting it fall loose down his back.
He gathered his hair again, tying it back with a simple ribbon that draped over his shoulder. Finally, he removed his dark sunglasses and crushed them in his palm.
He had always hated those glasses. They made the world look dim and grey. But in the Abura clan, everyone wore them. To avoid standing out, he had played the part. No more.
Shortly after Shisui cleared the forest, a young Jonin in white robes, carrying a long sword, arrived at the battlefield with two squads.
He knelt, examining the scorched earth and the signs of struggle. In a corner, he found a blood-stained vest and a discarded forehead protector.
One of his scouts leaped down from the trees. "Captain Hayama, the Byakugan has spotted the target. An insect cloud is carrying a ninja away at high speed, ten miles out. Should we pursue?"
Hayama Shirakumo gripped the discarded protector, his youthful face clouded with internal conflict. "No. His flight speed is too high; we'll never catch him on foot. Send one team to track his trail and confirm his heading. The rest of you... co back with ."
The two squads split. One disappeared into the brush to track the rogue, while the others followed Hayama back to the village. Along the way, they found more remnants: scraps of black tactical gear and a single, polished white skeleton.
Back at the village, Hayama laid the bloodied clothes on the Hokage's desk and bowed his head. "The mission was a failure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the items in silence. For a fleeting second, he wondered if his previous decision had been a mistake.
But he quickly suppressed the thought. Shisui Abura had murdered his own comrades—that was a line that could never be uncrossed.
"It is not your fault, Hayama. No one could have predicted his true strength. You made the right call," Hiruzen said softly.
His words didn't ease Hayama's guilt. He had underestimated the target because he was "only a Genin," and he had trusted Shinku Yuhi's reputation too much.
If he had been faster, if he had fought alongside Shinku... perhaps the master of illusions would still be alive.
The door swung open, and Danzo Shimura walked in. His black robes couldn't hide the bandages wrapped around his torso—wounds from the Northern front.
"I've seen the report," Danzo said, getting straight to the point. "Shisui Abura. Age eighteen. Genin profile, but actual combat power evaluated at Jonin level.
He killed Shinku Yuhi and wiped out two additional tactical squads during his flight."
Hiruzen looked exhausted. He signaled for Hayama to leave.
Danzo waited for the door to close before continuing. "Hiruzen, you disappoint . You just let him go? A Jonin-level rogue from a Hidden Village clan... if he defects to an enemy nation, do you have any idea the damage he could cause?"
"The war is active on four fronts," Hiruzen snapped back. "We have fewer than ten Jonin left in the village for defense. Who do I send? How many more lives do I throw away?"
"The cost?" Danzo sneered. "Hiruzen, you are soft. The dignity of the Leaf cannot be trampled. Since the founding of this village, with the sole exception of Madara Uchiha, we have never had a defection this egregious. We must use every ans necessary to eliminate Shisui Abura."
Hiruzen leaned back, his face etched with worry. He knew Danzo was right about the threat, but he also knew the truth: the Hidden Leaf simply didn't have the strength to spare.
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