"Masaka, genjutsu."
Although they were not ninja, they were not completely ignorant of ninja techniques either. After clearly seeing the figure of their comrade opposite them, the samurai also realized what the situation was.
But the katana already embedded in his body left him no chance for regret. He could only feel his vision gradually blurring as he collapsed to the ground.
"They acted quickly. Your heart is also damaged. I can't save you."
Looking at the barely breathing Fujita Kazu in front of her, Furina's tone became somewhat sorrowful. Her current medical ninjutsu was still not sufficient to treat this kind of injury.
After bursting through the door, while Uchiha Hikari used genjutsu to control the group of samurai, Furina naturally did not idle. She immediately summoned Crab Boss to bring Fujita Kazu and his daughter over for examination.
If this incident had happened a few days earlier, there might still have been a chance. At that time, she still had Affection Value unused, which she could have spent to improve her medical ninjutsu and save the other's life.
But the problem was that a couple of days ago, she had already used the Affection Value to boost her strength attribute, making herself without any weaknesses, and the Affection Value had been mostly used up in that instance.
"If I die, I die. Cough, it doesn't matter. How is Chiyo's condition?"
Hearing Furina pronounce his death sentence, Fujita Kazu showed little disappointment. He knew his own body's condition well enough, but his daughter was still young and absolutely could not die with him.
"She got lucky. It didn't hit any vital spots. She can still be saved."
This was not Furina comforting him; it was simply the truth. Although it looked terrifying with the sword stabbed into the ground, it had not damaged any vital organs.
At most, it was just a penetrating wound. Plus, not much time had passed. For her, this kind of injury was not a big problem.
"That's good. Thank you so much. Cough cough, please treat Chiyo first."
"Of course."
Furina had intended to do so anyway, so she naturally did not refuse. Under Fujita Kazu's worried gaze, Furina casually pulled the katana out of Chiyo's body. Green light immediately emerged in her palm as she began treating her.
"The sword you asked me to forge is already completed. It's right now on that guy Reichi's back. Cough. Sorry, I can't hand it to you personally anymore."
While Furina was treating Chiyo, Fujita Kazu did not forget the purpose of Furina's trip to the Land of Iron. Hearing this, Furina, who was in the middle of healing, also looked up.
Fujita Kazu's mention of Reichi was not hard to find. He was the one who appeared to be the leader. He was the only person in the entire scene carrying something on his back. Without surprise, he was Reichi.
"Interesting."
Looking at Reichi, the only one who had not fallen under Uchiha Hikari's genjutsu, Furina could not help feeling a bit surprised. Although Uchiha Hikari had used a large-area genjutsu that dispersed its power,
with the enhancement of the Mangekyo Sharingan, it was still not something an ordinary person could dispel. This person called Reichi was not weak.
"Sharingan. Who exactly are you two?" Looking at the slowly spinning Sharingan in Uchiha Hikari's eyes, Reichi's tone inevitably fluctuated a little.
Reichi had naturally heard of the Sharingan's reputation. It was just that ever since the Uchiha clan was exterminated a few years ago, he had thought the Uchiha had vanished into the river of history. He never expected to encounter one today.
Moreover, this powerful Uchiha seemed to be subordinate to that blue-clothed girl who was still treating someone. That made it even more unbelievable. If this Uchiha was already so formidable, how strong must she be?
Once he began to gauge the opponent's strength in his mind, the idea of escape naturally emerged. But Reichi did not think this was shameful.
Although he could dispel the genjutsu in time and repel his comrades who tried to attack him, that did not mean he believed he could match the Uchiha opposite him.
Facing the Sharingan one-on-one and then turning to run had been quite a widespread tactic in the ninja world before. Reichi had naturally heard of it. Moreover, there was still Furina, whose depths were unknown.
Rather than staying here and fighting desperately, it was better to go back, report to the daimyo, and prepare countermeasures. So this was not cowardice but a strategic retreat.
However, although Reichi was fully intent on retreating, the moment he showed any sign of wanting to leave, a kunai shot to the exact spot where he intended to move, forcing his actions to halt.
"Mr. Reichi, it's not easy to meet once. Don't be in such a hurry to leave."
While Uchiha Hikari blocked Reichi, Furina's treatment of Chiyo was also nearly complete. The injury had fully recovered; what was needed next was gradual recuperation.
As she spoke, Furina slowly stood up, then walked over to Uchiha Hikari's side and placed a hand on her shoulder, teasingly saying with a playful mood.
"Besides, you can't leave, Mr. Reichi. Because in front of these eyes, all your moves and actions are completely meaningless."
As she spoke, Furina leaned even closer to Uchiha Hikari. Clearly in the middle of battle, but after Furina's antics, it felt more like fooling around. Even Uchiha Hikari was made a little embarrassed by Furina's actions.
Although Uchiha Hikari did not dislike what Furina said—in fact, she found it quite to her taste—the key issue was that these words came from Furina's mouth.
If she said them herself, it might be fine, but hearing them from someone else was extremely awkward. Uchiha Hikari fell into exactly that category.
"Hehe (^▽^)" Seeing Uchiha Hikari slightly turn her head, Furina could not help but grin mischievously. It was just a chuuni line from Sasuke; this was nothing. There were plenty more coming later.
"Tch."
Watching the two opposite her messing around, Reichi could not help feeling a mix of shame and anger. They were completely disregarding him. But along with the shame and anger, what Reichi felt more was despair.
Their attitude proved they already held absolute victory. The current situation was like a cat toying with a mouse. The mouse could not run, and when it died depended entirely on the cat's mood.
The situation was already very clear. Reichi also knew that in this circumstance, stubbornly focusing on escape would only make him a laughingstock with no other use. He immediately sheathed his sword and assumed the stance for iaijutsu.
"In that case, then let us fight."
"You want a head-on battle? Fine, but you have to give me the sword. How am I supposed to fight you without a blade?"
Seeing the other prepare for combat, Furina also dropped her earlier frivolous demeanor and pointed at the cloth bag on the other's back, signaling him to return the sword to her.
"Are you joking? How could I possibly strengthen the enemy before the battle?"
Facing Furina's request, Reichi rejected it without a second thought. The opponent's strength was already greater than his, and now return the sword to her? Impossible. He was not tired of living.
"Fine then. I'll just have to take it myself later." Seeing the refusal, Furina could only casually pick up a samurai sword that had fallen near her on the ground.
In a normal development, shouldn't the other side hand over the sword and then duel? What the hell was this? You are not following the script at all.
"Hmph."
Seeing Furina pick up the sword and assume a stance similar to his own, Reichi could not help but sneer inwardly. Since the other was willing to give him this chance, he would not be polite and accept it.
Reichi could tell that both people opposite him were probably stronger than he was, but that did not matter. He had cultivated iaijutsu for decades. His experience in this single path was far beyond what someone who could not even hold the stance properly could compare to.
Therefore, if Furina wanted to clash with him using iaijutsu, even if her strength was greater, Reichi was confident he could cut her down.
Just as both sides were about to make their move, a surge of chakra spread from Furina's sword-holding hand across the entire blade, then transformed into spiraling water currents wrapping around the samurai sword.
"Hard Vortex Water Blade - Modified"
Hm, I haven't thought of a name yet, so let's go with this for now.
Furina's actions naturally caught Reichi's attention as well. The dangerous aura emanating from it constantly warned his mind. But at this point, he had nowhere to retreat and could only pin his hopes on his own performance next.
Unlike Reichi, Furina felt little pressure. After preparing, her figure turned into an afterimage and vanished. Without choosing to circle around, she charged straight toward Reichi.
Seeing the opponent's undisguised attack, Reichi was not angry but delighted. Adrenaline surged under the tension and excitement. Reichi felt his current state was better than ever.
In his vision, Furina's speed had become capturable, no longer just a blur like before.
"I will win. I just need to draw my sword..."
But just as the distance closed and Reichi prepared to draw, Furina's speed suddenly exploded again, instantly causing him to lose track of his attack target.
Yet the ever-clearer aura of death also made Reichi understand that Furina's assault had not stopped. Death could descend at any next instant.
"Left side."
Finally, the rich experience accumulated over so many years did not betray him. Just before he was about to be decapitated, he also sensed the direction from which the attack was coming.
"Clang!"
The two blades collided, producing a crisp sound. At the same time came Furina's slightly surprised expression. She really had not expected the other to block this strike.
Though somewhat surprised, Furina quickly reacted. She immediately gripped the sword with both hands and increased her force, continuing to push the blade toward Reichi.
"How is this possible?"
After Furina increased her power, Reichi suddenly realized that even in terms of strength, he was no match for her. Even giving it his all, he could only watch helplessly as the water-wrapped blade gradually approached.
Before Reichi could recover from the previous shock, a new surprise occurred. Reichi discovered that cracks had appeared on his samurai sword at the point of deadlock, and they were continuously spreading from there.
If a samurai's sword broke, the outcome could be imagined.
Furina naturally noticed that his weapon was failing. She immediately increased her chakra output, and the momentum grew even stronger.
Finally, the opponent's samurai sword snapped with a crack. Without obstruction, Furina's "water blade" naturally passed through unimpeded. The two figures instantly crossed each other.
After a brief pause, in the next second, a large spray of blood burst forth. A massive wound appeared at Reichi's waist, deep enough to show bone. This strike had nearly bisected his body. He could only barely hold on while tottering.
An injury like this would probably make even the Sage of the Six Paths shake his head. Reichi naturally understood this very well. Feeling his life rapidly draining away, he could not help but smile helplessly.
He never expected to die at the hands of people outside the plan, and it was they who had come looking for trouble. How truly ridiculous.
"What a genius. In the future, many more strong ones will surely die by your hand. Thinking of it that way, even dying now feels without regret."
Looking at the still youthful face opposite him, Reichi finally let go. He then closed his eyes, awaiting death.
"The one behind all this is the daimyo here, right?" Casually tossing aside the samurai sword that had shattered from bearing too much force,
"?" Hearing Furina's question, Reichi, who had already accepted death, opened his eyes again, his face showing helplessness.
"You should already know the answer to this. Why bother asking me? Do you really need me to betray the daimyo one last time before I die? Heh."
After speaking, without waiting for Furina's response, Reichi closed his eyes again. His body fell to the ground along with momentum. Clearly, death had already claimed him this time.
"Your response basically answered it anyway."
Although Reichi had not answered directly, in those short two sentences, he had already sold out the daimyo completely. It seemed he harbored some resentment toward the daimyo as well.
Of course, that had nothing to do with Furina.
"With these guys accompanying you on the road to the underworld, you probably won't feel lonely. And even if you do, it's fine—more people will join you soon.
Alright, do you have any last wishes? If it's reasonable, I can help you out, just consider it thanks for this sword. But beforehand, nothing too troublesome."
"Cough cough." Looking at the sword Furina gestured toward, Fujita Kazu wanted to speak, but opening his mouth only produced coughing. After catching his breath a little, he finally managed to say,
"I don't have any last wishes left. You've already helped me get revenge, and I'm very grateful for that. If I have to say something, just tell me the name you gave this sword. It's one of my proudest works, after all."
Hearing this, Furina's gaze fell back onto the sword in her hand. The blade was long and slender; above the guard were carved water-blue inscriptions, extremely beautiful. It did not look like a combat weapon but more like a work of art.
Even when blood had splattered on it during Furina's killing of Reichi just now, it did not affect this. The bloodstains on the blade not only did not ruin the beauty but added a touch of bewitching allure.
Just as Furina was pondering what suitable name to come up with before Fujita Kazu passed away, a wet sensation suddenly appeared on the top of her head. Then her face and other places felt the same.