Chapter 136: Deception

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Jun'ko was struggling to breathe. The icy lance still pulsed in the wound on her side, her clothes soaked in blood. But pain wasn't the problem.

The problem was them.

In front of her, the fake Ren turned slightly, glancing at the figure that had appeared beside him.

Yuki Sora.

His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was cold and calculating.

"Let's move," Yuki said flatly. "She's waiting for us."

The fake Ren hesitated, casting a look at Jun'ko's body.

"I want to make sure she's really dead," he muttered.

"There's no time," Yuki replied, but his companion was already stepping toward her.

Jun'ko closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breathing.

Still. Calm… If they think I'm dead, I have a chance.

Then, a sound.

A noise among the trees.

A step.

Yuki and the fake Ren immediately stiffened, turning sharply.

Someone was approaching.

Shinji moved through the mist, his footsteps silent on the damp earth.

Something felt off.

He had heard a dull thud, followed by the unnatural silence that always came when something was wrong.

He stopped behind a broken trunk, peering through the fog.

Two figures.

One was Ren. Or rather… a copy of Ren. And beside him—Yuki Sora.

That's not Ren.

His instincts screamed that there was something deeply wrong with them.

They hadn't noticed him yet.

His usual calm, drowsy demeanor was gone. This time, he was serious.

He clenched his fist.

If they were doing what he suspected…

His blood boiled in his veins.

I won't let you get away with this.

- - -

The figure in front of Ren looked on the verge of collapse.

Munashi Touma clutched his arm, his breathing ragged.

"Please…" he panted. "Help me… They ambushed me…"

Ren remained still.

The scent of blood was strong, the air thick with iron and moisture. But that wasn't what made him hesitate.

It was the chakra.

The chakra signature of Munashi Touma.

Ren knew it well. They had sparred countless times at the Academy, and now… now something was off.

The chakra flowing before him was different.

Without wasting time, he moved.

With surgical precision, he dashed forward, gripping the other's wrist in a lethal hold, ready to immobilize him.

But the fake Munashi reacted instantly.

He didn't pull back.

He didn't try to break free.

Instead, his body twisted unnaturally, as if his bones could bend in impossible ways.

Ren realized too late.

Kaguya Clan!

A bone, sharp as a dagger, detached from the other's arm and was hurled at him with brutal speed.

Ren let go and threw himself aside.

The bone projectile grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, stinging cut.

The enemy didn't let up.

With monstrous strength, he lunged forward, his arm transforming into a spiked bone club, ready to smash him.

Ren blocked the attack with a kunai, but the impact made his arm vibrate down to his elbow.

He leapt back, creating distance between them.

The enemy chuckled softly.

"Not bad," he murmured, cracking his neck.

His arm twisted, and more bone spikes began emerging from his joints.

Ren tightened his grip on the kunai.

This is going to be a problem. Only Shin was supposed to participate in the exam… what is another Kaguya doing here?

The fight erupted with uncontrollable violence.

The Kaguya attacked with a primitive ferocity, every move an explosion of raw strength, every strike an attempt to end the battle in a single blow.

"You lesser human are the ruin of this village," the opponent spat, his eyes burning with hatred.

Ren dodged with precision, avoiding the bone slashes by mere inches.

But his mind was working fast.

I've sparred with Shin many times. The Kaguya are powerful, but their strength is also their weakness. They're straightforward. Impulsive. If I force him to waste energy, he'll fall into my trap… but I don't have time for that.

The enemy lunged again.

Ren waited until the last moment before sidestepping, letting the strike smash through a tree behind him.

The Kaguya turned with a snarl, furious.

Ren didn't give him a chance to recover.

Three explosive scrolls slipped from his sleeves.

BOOM!

The explosion tore through the mist, hurling the enemy against a tree with a deafening crash.

But Ren didn't stop there.

As the other tried to regain his footing, he placed a sealing tag directly onto his chest.

"Sealing Technique: Barrier Seal!"

A field of glowing seals activated around the Kaguya, locking him in a binding trap.

The enemy struggled to break free, but the seals shimmered like invisible chains, holding him in place.

"You son of a—!"

Ren dashed forward and struck him with a precise blow to the neck.

The Kaguya collapsed.

Ren took a deep breath, steadying his heartbeat.

And that's when he saw it.

He no longer cared for caution—he pushed through the branches and undergrowth until he saw it.

A body lying on the ground.

The real Munashi Touma.

His face, once filled with life and ambition, was now motionless, eyes wide open, staring into nothingness.

Ren approached slowly.

He knelt beside him and gently closed his eyes.

The skin was already cold.

For the first time, Ren stared death in the face.

His heart pounded, not out of fear… but because of something deeper.

So this is the Bloody Mist Village.

He felt hollow, as if reality had suddenly become heavier.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to this.

Slowly, he stood up, his face unreadable. But inside, he felt a fire burning.

A fire that wouldn't go out so easily.

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