Ritual

Ino stared intently at Kaguya, clutching a kunai tightly in her hand, her body lowering slightly as she assumed a combat stance.

Just when Kaguya thought Ino was about to attack, Ino threw a shuriken and then turned to flee.

A black line appeared on Kaguya's forehead as she tilted her body, allowing the shuriken to whizz past her, clinking against the trees. In the few years they hadn't seen each other, Ino hadn't improved much in other areas, but she had certainly become more adept at running away.

Hmm, her figure had also improved significantly.

Of course, Kaguya didn't know how much trauma she had caused Ino in their childhood. Now that Kaguya was infamous, known as the silver-haired witch who killed without batting an eye, Ino was naturally even more terrified. She was never a particularly brave girl to begin with.

This was also partly due to the rumors. In fact, Kaguya hadn't killed many people over the past few years, mostly only those who were thoroughly evil. She rarely took on assassination bounties. However, due to her striking appearance and her joining of Akatsuki, she was naturally demonized.

Kaguya sighed, realizing she wanted to ask Ino if she had any food. She was utterly tired of rice balls.

No other choice now; she glanced at the rice ball in her hand and reluctantly pulled out a small bottle from her clothes, sprinkling the powder onto the rice ball.

Yes, it was salt.

If only she had military rations from her original world, or even just a pack of compressed biscuits.

The sun set in the west, the sky darkened, and the twilight gradually faded, leaving only the stars faintly visible in the sky. A full moon slowly rose from the horizon, casting its cold light on Kaguya's flawless white face, making it hard to tell whether the moonlight or her face was more beautiful.

The next morning, Kaguya woke up. Spending the night in the forest was indeed a poor choice. The hard tree trunk underneath had left her whole body aching. She wondered how those camping ninjas managed.

Kaguya stood up, stretched out her white arm, and brushed the dust off her clothes. With her ability to manipulate gravity, a gentle swipe was enough to shake off the dust. This required precise control of mental energy; otherwise, she might accidentally tear her clothes, which would be very embarrassing.

Continuing her journey, she soon came across a main road that seemed to lead to a town. Kaguya was overjoyed at the prospect of no longer having to eat those tasteless rice balls.

She quickened her pace, and soon, she could see a small town in the distance. Kaguya felt her mouth watering and decided she would have a feast. One benefit of joining Akatsuki was the high salary, several times what she earned in Konoha.

Just then, she heard the faint sounds of fighting in the distance. Kaguya paused, puzzled that such a small town would have a fight, especially in peaceful times.

Initially, Kaguya didn't want to get involved, thinking the fight had nothing to do with her and she might get caught up in it. However, a casual glance with her Tenseigan revealed that she knew these people.

After some thought, Kaguya decided to head towards the source of the fighting.

What she saw were Kakuzu and Hidan on one side, and Asuma, Shikamaru, Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane, and Ino on the other.

Asuma's team was clearly at a disadvantage. Hidan had already drawn his ritual circle and turned black, indicating he had obtained their blood and was about to perform his ritual.

Izumo and Kotetsu were being held by Kakuzu, while Shikamaru and Ino lay on the ground, apparently injured.

"Asuma, watch out!" Shikamaru shouted as his pupils contracted.

A gust of wind swept towards the back of Asuma's head. Hearing Shikamaru's warning, Asuma quickly turned, narrowly dodging Hidan's scythe at the last moment.

With a splattering sound, blood sprayed everywhere.

Asuma lay on the ground, panting heavily. When he looked up, he saw the scythe he had dodged now stuck in Hidan's abdomen, the blood gradually staining Hidan's clothes crimson.

"The same trick won't work on me again," Asuma said half-heartedly, then suddenly froze, his pupils contracting.

A wicked smile appeared on Hidan's face, and he began to laugh maniacally. "Same trick? Yeah, right, fool!"

Asuma's eyes widened as he clutched his abdomen, pain etched across his face. He fell to the ground, blood seeping from his clothes and dripping onto the ground, forming a gruesome crimson pool.

"Finally, I can savor this pain again," Hidan said, his bloodshot eyes filled with madness. He twisted the scythe a few times with force.

Asuma let out a muffled groan of pain, clutching his abdomen tightly and coughing up blood.

"The pain of killing you," Hidan said, pulling out a black rod. He gave it a powerful flick, revealing a sharp tip, and aimed it at his heart. He looked at Asuma and laughed maniacally.

"It's over," Kakuzu said from a distance, his voice deep and resonant.

Hidan suddenly plunged the black rod into his own heart.

"Captain!"

"Asuma!"

"Teacher!"

"Stop it!"

Shikamaru, Ino, Izumo, and Kotetsu shouted, their faces showing expressions of despair. Ino couldn't bear to look and covered her eyes with her hands, not daring to witness what was coming next.

"Am I really going to die?" Asuma muttered, his vision becoming blurry.

At that moment, a figure appeared in front of them.

"What?"

The person who appeared before them was a beautiful silver-haired girl. Her mist-like silver hair swayed in the wind, her flawless skin was delicate and smooth, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her white eyes were clear and bright. Below that was a petite nose and red lips that were enchanting. She was a breathtakingly beautiful girl.

Everyone present recognized this girl. She was none other than...

"Kaguya."