CHAPTER 23

c23 - Inconvenient To Put Into The Body

Rock Clone.

"Damn it! Konoha brats shouldn't have this much chakra at your age!"

Kurobachi was drenched in sweat, panting heavily. His limbs felt sluggish, his body weak from exhaustion.

Just moments ago, if he hadn't sent a Rock Clone ahead as a decoy, he would have been dead by now.

'That last attack should've drained all his chakra…'

Yet, Kurobachi's instincts screamed that this wasn't over. This brat, Shiranui Yuuji, was even more terrifying than Hatake Kakashi! Such a monster couldn't be allowed to live!

Gritting his teeth, Kurobachi gathered his remaining strength, his palm striking out like a spear, piercing straight through Yuuji's chest

Only for the body to dissolve.

"This one's also a clone."

Yuuji's Nuclear Release Clone latched onto Kurobachi's arm, its form deteriorating, but its grip unwavering. Then, the clone opened its mouth

A toxic nuclear cloud erupted forth, saturating Kurobachi's body.

With a sharp cry, Kurobachi immediately severed his own arm, retreating in horror. But halfway through his dash toward Yuuji's real body, his vision blurred, and his legs collapsed beneath him.

"W-What?! My body—! I took dozens of antidotes, why isn't it working?!"

Kurobachi's voice was filled with disbelief as he coughed up dark, clotted blood. His entire body rebelled against him, muscles spasming uncontrollably.

"You think we stalled for time just to chat?"

Yuuji sighed, shaking his head. "You're an expert in stealth, integrating into rock formations to avoid perception… Too bad it doesn't work against my technique."

From the start of the battle, Yuuji had been gradually dispersing radiation into the surroundings. Kurobachi's fatal mistake? He waited too long for a perfect kill opportunity instead of attacking outright.

Had he struck immediately, the radiation wouldn't have had time to seep into his bone marrow and organs. But he hesitated— and now he was paying the price.

Coughing violently, Kurobachi tried to speak, his breath ragged.

"Our village… even developed countermeasures against Chiyo's poisons… but why… does yours work differently?!"

The entire Iwa and Suna medical divisions had tried to analyze Yuuji's "poison." Yet, every recovered corpse or living prisoner showed no traces of conventional toxins. No residue in the blood, no abnormalities in tissue samples— it was as if no poison existed at all.

This was why Iwa's High Command had elevated Yuuji to a top-priority target, second only to Kakashi.

Yuuji's gaze remained calm as he approached the fallen ninja.

"My poison doesn't exist in any form you'd recognize. It can't be extracted. It can't be neutralized. Once it enters your body, it stays forever."

Kurobachi's fingers twitched. His lips parted, but before he could utter another word

Thud.

A kunai whistled through the air, embedding itself deep in his skull.

The body shuddered once, then went still.

…

On the Other Side

Maito Guy exhaled sharply, unlocking the Fourth Gate of Pain, his body drenched in sweat.

His opponent, Jibachi, lay on the ground, his chest caved in from a brutal blow. The Iwa-nin had tried to flee, realizing the battle was lost— but Kazue's Sharingan had ensnared him in a Genjutsu, leaving him defenseless.

Before dying, Jibachi had murmured in shock,

"Shiranui Yuuji… is far more terrifying than Kakashi… this monster must… be eliminated…"

Now, he was nothing but a corpse.

"Hah… That was exhausting," Guy muttered, dropping onto the ground to catch his breath. He glanced at Yuuji, eyes widening in admiration.

"Yuuji-san actually finished his opponent before us… He's really amazing…"

Kazue, still panting slightly, wiped the sweat off her forehead. But what truly unsettled her—

Yuuji still had chakra.

A lot of it.

'What kind of monster is he…?'

Her Sharingan spun, confirming what she suspected— Yuuji's chakra reserves hadn't dropped at all. It was as if he hadn't exerted himself in battle.

Suppressing the urge to sigh, Kazue forced a smile. "Well, at least this ambush is over. Iwa won't be trying again for a while."

Yuuji exhaled, glancing at the corpses.

"They had the right idea," he admitted. "If they waited until we were exhausted and launched a surprise attack… it could have worked."

Unfortunately for them, they hesitated.

At that moment, a faint buzzing noise filled the air.

Aburame Shibi emerged from the trees, carrying a corpse wrapped in chakra-infused silk threads.

"Kai. You handled things well," Shibi murmured, his monotone voice betraying no emotion. "I was delayed dealing with an enemy commander. Their strategy was thorough. Iwa is taking this very seriously."

He glanced at the remains of Kurobachi and Jibachi. "Even for Special Jōnin, these two weren't easy targets. You three exceeded expectations."

This was rare praise coming from Shibi, a man of few words.

For a moment, he considered saying more— but refrained. Just now, he had been prepared to use his Kikaichū Clone Technique to distract the enemy and ensure the students' survival.

He hadn't needed to.

"They're growing at an astonishing rate…" he mused. "Especially Yuuji."

Compared to Hatake Kakashi, Yuuji's threat level was beginning to surpass him in a completely different way.

The four of them departed, leaving behind the wreckage of their battlefield.

…

On the Way Back

"Yuuji."

Shibi's voice was quieter than usual, making even Guy and Kazue pause.

"I need to ask you something," he continued. His hand lifted, revealing a sealed insect container, a faint glow pulsing from within.

Yuuji raised an eyebrow.

Shibi hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Some of my insects… have undergone strange mutations."

Yuuji's body stiffened.

"They are now capable of devouring massive amounts of chakra in short bursts. Their size increases exponentially when doing so."

Shibi's normally unreadable expression darkened slightly.

"These insects are unstable. They are too dangerous to return into my body."

For the first time, the ever-calm Aburame Shibi looked… concerned.

Yuuji's eyes flickered. He already had a theory— and if he was right, then even Konoha's best strategists wouldn't understand what they were dealing with yet.

"…Interesting," Yuuji finally muttered.

The effects of his power were spreading.

And now, even the legendary Kikaichū Clan, whose symbiotic bond with insects had remained unchanged for generations

Was beginning to mutate.