[Inorin's Note:
Hey everyone, so sorry for the lack of updates these past few days! Four days ago, I randomly got the idea to build my own novel website, and I immediately hyperfocused on it. I got so caught up in the process that I completely forgot to queue up the scheduled chapters on Webnovel and only just realized it now. The good news is, my 78-hour coding binge wasn't for nothing—the website is already 50-75% done!]
Chapter 53: The Eternal Eye Crushed
Tsukiyomi Kenshi scrambled through the dense woods, each step a proof of his agony. He wasn't moving fast; the hastily treated wound on his shoulder throbbed with a deep, searing pain that sent waves of fire through his body, hindering every movement. Yet, he didn't dare to stop.
Captain Stelle had pulled him from the brink on the battlefield, but they hadn't gotten far before her Shadow Clone had simply vanished.
A Shadow Clone wouldn't dissipate unless its chakra was depleted, the user willingly released it, or… something catastrophic had happened to the original. The abruptness of its disappearance could only mean one thing: Captain Stelle was in grave danger.
He struggled onward, his lungs burning as he sucked in ragged gulps of air. Finally, his strength gave out. His legs buckled, and the world tilted as he collapsed, sprawling across the damp earth.
'What should I do?'he thought, his vision blurring.'My body… it won't move at all.'
With the last dregs of his willpower, Tsukiyomi Kenshi fumbled in his pocket, his fingers closing around the cold, cylindrical shape of his only distress signal flare. He could only pray there were Konoha shinobi on a nearby mission, someone who could carry his message.
"Swoosh!"
A crimson flare shrieked into the sky, painting the canopy in a fleeting, desperate light. In the distance, it caught the eye of Homura Mitokado, who had just concluded a… friendly escort of the Sand Village messengers and was preparing to return to Konoha. Alerted, he immediately led his team toward the signal's source.
Tsukiyomi Kenshi was on the verge of losing consciousness when he sensed figures approaching. He forced his lips to move, his voice a raw, broken whisper powered by sheer will. "Save… Captain Stelle…"
…
Stelle darted through the forest, a phantom weaving between trees and rock formations to aid her escape.
For a time, she had toyed with Kakuzu, repeatedly appearing just within his grasp only to slip away again. His internal monologue must have been a frantic loop: My thirty million is back! My thirty million is gone again! Great, I found her! How is she gone again?! My thirty million… After leading the bounty hunter in circles for a few rounds and deciding she'd squeezed just about every drop of emotional value from him, Stelle finally shook him off for good.
'And next up,'she thought with a welcoming, internal flourish,'is our top-tier benefactor! Though we've seemingly never met, he never fails to make an appearance. Welcome, welcome, Black Zetsu.'
After being led around like a dog for the better part of the day, Black Zetsu's usually placid state was fraying at the edges. His emotions began to fluctuate wildly.
He had never seen anyone run like Ida Mutzuki. Every single time he and Setsuna thought they had her cornered, she would somehow pull away, always keeping just out of reach. She would even periodically litter their path with explosive tags and other crude traps, forcing them to slow down.
She stumbled, her breath came in shallow, weak gasps, and she looked as if she might faint at any moment. She even spat up blood every now and then. And yet, she still ran with infuriating speed.
'Seriously,'Black Zetsu fumed,'are speed-type ninja really this terrifying?'
What was even more horrifying was that she wasn't even in peak condition; she was being hunted while grievously injured. What about the wounds crisscrossing her body? What about the gaping hole in her back? She had tried to use a Konoha-specialty healing scroll, but the process had been interrupted, the scroll itself destroyed. Her mind had also been savaged by a Mangekyo Sharingan. Was Uchiha Setsuna's genjutsu made of paper? It couldn't even take her down!
Any ordinary ninja suffering these injuries wouldn't just be unable to run this far; they'd be on death's door, lying flat and waiting for the end.
But not her. She was fine. She could still run for most of the night. She had to be a cockroach.
A cold, familiar dread began to creep over Black Zetsu, reminding him of every previous attempt to eliminate Ida Mutzuki, each one ending with her turning mortal danger into a stunning reversal.
As they caught up to her once more, Black Zetsu felt a creeping numbness. This woman was simply too bizarre.
Uchiha Setsuna, however, was reveling in the thrill of hunting his arch-nemesis.
"Ida Mutzuki!" he roared, his voice echoing through the trees. "Aren't you supposed to be so capable? So strong? Why are you running? Come out and fight me head-on! I want you to truly understand the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Stelle, hidden behind a large boulder, pitched her voice to sound terrified. "What… what kind of ocular power is that Sharingan of yours? I… I almost didn't wake up."
Her words were like a balm to Setsuna's ego. He lifted his chin, his expression one of immense pride.
"You've already experienced the ability of my left eye, haven't you? It can drag you into the memory fragments of your deepest guilt, your greatest fears."
He sneered, a cruel twist to his lips. "In every loop, didn't it feel like you were just about to save everything, only to fall short by the narrowest of margins?"
"That's because my ocular power subtly modifies those fragments, forcing you to repeatedly experience a despair that could have been avoided. Suffer. Keep on suffering."
Stelle rubbed her chin, her mind working behind the facade of fear. 'So, it's somewhat similar to Tsukuyomi,'she mused.'But where Tsukuyomi manipulates the perception of time, this is geared more toward chronic psychological torture.'
"What?" she gasped, her voice trembling. "Such a terrifying power… then… then what about your right eye?"
"As long as you hand over Lord Madara's eyes," Setsuna declared, brandishing the chakra blade he'd snatched earlier, "I'll be merciful enough to let you die by my right eye's power. It will be a slightly quicker death." A distorted, utterly deranged smile spread across his face.
Stelle curled her lip inaudibly. 'No wonder Tobirama was so intent on guarding against the Uchiha Clan. Look at this state after awakening the Mangekyo. Who could possibly stay calm? I really just want to snap his neck right now.'
She retrieved the glass bottle containing Madara's eyes from her system inventory, then extended a trembling hand from behind the rock. "The eyes are here. I can give them to you, but you have to let me go."
"Impossible!" Setsuna spat back instantly.
Stuck to Setsuna's back, Black Zetsu grew anxious. He leaned in and whispered, "We'll just say we'll let her go. We never said we wouldn't hunt her down afterward. It's the same if we kill her after we get the Sharingan."
Uchiha Setsuna was swayed. "Fine," he conceded. "I'll let you go. Now, hand over the Sharingan."
"Alright!" Stelle stood up from behind the rock, clutching the glass bottle. The complex patterns of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan were clearly visible within.
She made a throwing motion, then seemed to hesitate. As Uchiha Setsuna urged her on impatiently, she deftly performed a swift sleight of hand, swapping the precious bottle for one containing a worthless single-tomoe Sharingan from her prize pool.
A ball of purple flame suddenly flared to life in her palm. With a forceful squeeze, there was a sharp pop as the glass bottle shattered. The eyes within were instantly incinerated, turning to ash in the violet fire.
In that instant, Black Zetsu could have sworn he heard the sound of his own heart breaking.
"Nooo!" he shrieked, reaching out a hand in a desperate, theatrical gesture.
Then, his form lost all cohesion. He slid off Uchiha Setsuna's back and splattered onto the ground. His entire body began to distort, his face contorted into an expression of pure, soul-crushing agony. He slumped on the ground—a dark, blobby mass—and began pounding the earth in frustration.
Normally, this would be the image of someone banging their head against the ground in despair, but coming from a formless black blob, it was utterly, deeply ridiculous.
At that moment, Black Zetsu finally understood why so many people wanted to destroy the world.
This damned world deserved to be destroyed. Except for Mother, everyone should die.
He hissed viciously, his voice dripping with venom, "Setsuna, KILL HER!"
Without needing the reminder, Uchiha Setsuna had already charged.
Hearing the delightful chime of mood values skyrocketing in her mind, Stelle allowed a faint smile to touch her lips. She feigned exhaustion, acting as if she could no longer escape, and allowed Setsuna to block her path.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames erupted on her body, hellfire given form, radiating an aura of absolute destruction.
'Holy crap,'Stelle thought with detached surprise.'He actually awakened Amaterasu.'
"What… what kind of fire is this?" she cried out, stumbling back. "Why won't it go out?"
"Hahaha!" Setsuna's laughter was wild and unhinged. "This is the Inextinguishable Flame of my ocular power! Once it touches a target, it will burn until everything is incinerated! It cannot be extinguished! Just wait to be burned to ash!"
Stelle pointed a trembling finger at him, her face a mask of horror. "You… you're so cruel!"
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