Beneath the Shining Moon

[This bonus chapter was once again sponsored by the honorable Godphaze. This is the glorious fourth sponsorship! Blessed be this being.]

Oyashiro En walked, with a very young, very tired Chino leading the way. Chino swayed with each step, her eyes threatening to close as her knees buckled over every tree root in her way. Unfortunately, having to hike in the dead of the night was a necessary burden she had to shoulder.

Forced to work.

Forced to labor.

'I need to become strong,' A defiant light shone in Chino's eyes.

En was training her to become a shinobi, and therefore a useful bodyguard. With her clan dead, Chino knew that she needed strength to survive in the world.

Otherwise, she would end up dead.

To her, the world was black and white. The only other colors present in her psyche were the crimson hues of blood.

Little did she know... Blood would be drawn in but a few moments.

—Whiiiiiiing!

The whistling wind made Chino's hair stand on end. In the darkness of the night, her eyesight was not helpful.

Instead...

"Uncle En! Dodge!"

An arrow whizzed past her cheek, drawing a line of blood across her face. The arrow then embedded itself in the ground where she would have stepped next.

—Whiiiiiiing!

Yet another whistling tune, a chilling sensation, and her hair that stood on end. Chino ducked to dodge the second arrow that aimed for her life.

The man she was traveling with had luckily done the same.

"Spread out," En made a swift command, and another arrow threatened his life.

—Whiiiiiiing!

He dodged, only to watch another arrow fly past him. This one was aimed at Chino. His eyes, barely able to catch the arrow's trajectory, widened in surprise.

—Suk!

The arrow connected.

"Ack!" Chino's yelp was indicative of her injury.

Upon glancing at his companion, En gritted his teeth and a curse escaped his lips. Embedded in Chino's thigh was an arrow longer than his arm.

'A disadvantageous situation.' En instantly analyzed the predicament. 'It's dark, yet the bastard can somehow see us from a great distance away. Using my eyes will also prove inefficient.'

En could not establish eye contact or any physical contact for that matter. The advantages of his Kekkei Genkai had been nullified at this very moment.

Even blood manipulation would prove useless — the range of his abilities wasn't as great as his attacker.

Thus...

'This is a problem.' En watched Chino stagger.

—Whiiiiiing!

Another arrow flew towards them, but this time En was faster. With a deadly flash, his eyes tracked the projectile and he sprung to action.

Expecting the arrow's new trajectory, he wielded a kunai to block the attack. With the clang of iron, the arrow was deflected to the side.

"Tsk,"

En shook his hand as he felt the skin on his hand tear, ever so slightly. The pinpoint force of the arrow had been surprisingly difficult to deflect.

He had never fought an archer before. Used to fighting the shinobi of his clan, En, despite his age, lacked practical experience.

Against a foe he could not see, En was powerless to counterattack.

Thus, his only option was to flee.

"Let's go!"

Hurriedly, En picked Chino up from the scruff of her robes and placed him on his back. Then, in full sprint, he leaped onto a tree branch and fled.

***

The world whizzed past, yet En could not tell if he was being pursued or not. Despite spreading a chakra field multiple times, he could not sense anyone in his vicinity.

—Whiiiiiing!

It was that terrifying whistling once again. En turned around, and from the blur of movement in the shadows, his eyes luckily caught the arrow just before it pierced through his heart.

—Clang!

Another successful deflection.

However...

'This guy... His arrows have gotten more accurate.'

Despite sprinting at full speed, En's path had been predicted and intercepted. Just moments ago, it was clear that the archer was having a hard time aiming.

Had his arrows been a bit more accurate, Chino would have already perished with an arrow to the heart.

Sweat beaded down En's back. It was cold, like the ever-deepening night.

The Land of Frost was within sight, yet En had no desire to traverse through its lands with a pursuer on his tail.

"Damn..!"

A curse escaped his lips as he realized the weakening breaths of the girl on his back. En's eyes widened. He was forced to a stop, as he unslung both his daughter and his backpack and rummaged through the latter.

"An antidote..."

En breathed. It was not yet time for Chino to die. He still had a lot of plans to execute and fulfill.

"Chino, child... You can't die here."

The girl's breathing was shallow and labored. En hurriedly grabbed a small bottle from his bag and placed it upon Chino's lips.

—Whiiiiiing! Clang!

Barely letting go of the antidote, En deflected yet another arrow from its lethal trajectory. The arrow flew to a nearby tree, nearly grazing En's body.

"Damn it! Show yourself, coward!"

En flew into a rage. No longer could he keep calm as his only surviving family was slowly dying before his eyes. It hadn't been long since he had to fight his own clan for survival. Now, even before he could properly live a new life, his only offspring was poisoned.

His eyes had already taken on a deep crimson gleam. His hand glowed in a beautiful green hue as he hurriedly extracted the poison from Chino's system. Then, using a combination of Medical Ninjutsu and his Ketsuryugan, he closed the girl's wounds.

For some reason, the arrows stopped while he performed this operation. En's guard had been raised to its fullest as he worked, yet no attack came when he expected it.

Just when he completed his procedure—

—Whiiiiiing!

Another arrow flew through the darkness.

And then, as expected...

—Clang!

En deflected the blow.

"Come out! What do you want from me!?"

A bellow boomed from his lungs. En's rage was palpable with every syllable. Unfortunately for him...

"..."

There would only be an eerie silence in reply.

—Whiiiiiing!

And another arrow heading straight for his heart.

En's eyes flashed.

'Very well,' He thought, 'If you're not going to appear, then I'll come to you.'

Weaving a simple seal, En's figure blurred. He flickered forward at a terrifying pace, moving between trees and seemingly melding with the darkness of the night.

—Whiiiiiing!

Another arrow came flying towards him and En deflected it once again.

Expecting a rapid approach, En was prepared to face his foe in but a few moments. Confident in his speed, he failed to realize the nature of his foe.

Upon reaching a certain range, En suddenly felt a shift.

The arrows no longer fell from high in the sky. Instead—

A volley of arrows came flying straight at him.

—Clang! Clang! Clang!

With a few swift strikes, En deflected the arrows aimed at his vitals. Then, he dodged the others, letting them weave past his body as if they were poorly aimed. The cold, whistling air and the lethality of those arrows brought a chill to his spine.

Just as En was about to take another step forward, however...

"!!!"

A pair of eyes appeared before him, gleaming with the silver moonlight.

Even an exclamation failed to escape his lips as En was locked into place by its silent gaze.

[]=[]=[]=[]

I appreciate your support on P@treon! Hehe~

Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou

(No space.)

You can read up to 35 chapters ahead!

[]=[]=[]=[]