Chapter 39: Butt Poisoning

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

Taking advantage of the moment, Shikudō hurled a barrage of kunai and shuriken, cutting off all escape routes.

His tactics were flawless—trapping his target with nowhere to run, forcing them to face the Gatsūga head-on.

Crack!

The Gatsūga struck its target… only for a wooden log to be shattered into splinters.

At the critical moment, he had used the Substitution Jutsu, effortlessly dodging the devastating attack.

Just then, Shikudō—wearing specially crafted gloves—yanked backward on seemingly empty air. Thin, hair-like steel wires, woven into a net, suddenly tightened across the entire area.

Turns out, the earlier kunai and shuriken had concealed these wires.

And his Substitution Jutsu had a limited range—not enough to escape the wire trap.

"Kosuzu, now!"

Before Shikudō even finished speaking, Kosuzu was already weaving hand signs.

"Lightning Release: Current Surge!"

At a speed of one hand seal per second, Kosuzu completed this D-rank Lightning Release technique.

A faint blue current raced along Shikudō's wires, spreading across the entire area.

Though weak in raw power, this D-rank jutsu was more than enough to briefly paralyze him. And if he was immobilized, Inuzuka Ryō's human-beast combo would surely secure victory.

At the same time, Shikudō yanked the wires taut, rapidly shrinking the space, trying to bind him completely.

But things didn't go as planned.

Thanks to his Ultrasonic Radar Technique, he had already sensed Shikudō's setup. Now, moving with the grace of a dancer, he effortlessly slipped through the net.

"Good tactics… but the wrong opponent."

Umino Yoru shook his head, mocking them outwardly while silently acknowledging their skill. Even a special jonin caught off guard by this combo would struggle—especially with Kosuzu's well-timed D-rank Lightning Release. Though weak, it was perfectly executed.

"Alright, kids… time to get serious."

Umino Yoru's hands flew through seals as he unleashed his next move.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Instantly, fine droplets condensed in the air, thickening into a pale, swirling fog.

Like an invisible hand crushing the clouds, the mist swallowed all light and form within a sixty-meter radius. The dense haze rolled across the ground, blurring trees and rocks into ink-like smudges. Even kunai at point-blank range looked smeared behind a frosted veil.

"Defensive formation! Watch for ambushes!"

Shikudō and his team immediately formed a cross-shaped guard, backs pressed together.

"The art of silent killing… begins now."

Umino Yoru's voice, feigning menace, whispered right beside their ears.

"Eight vital points: throat, spine, lung, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidney, heart. Which one should I strike first?"

The trio frantically threw kunai into the mist—but hit nothing. The eerie voice continued to taunt them.

In a real battle, this psychological terror alone would rival a C-rank genjutsu.

"Throat!"

The moment the word left his lips, a faint breeze brushed past them.

"Huh? Fish blood?!"

Inuzuka Ryō, the most alert, touched his neck—only to find his fingers coated in fish blood.

Shikudō and Kosuzu had the same mark on their throats.

Even Ryō's ninken, Akitamaru, wasn't spared.

Clearly, Umino Yoru had silently marked them all.

If this were real, they'd already be dead.

"When did he—?!"

Unlike Ryō, Shikudō and Kosuzu hadn't even noticed the markings being placed.

The trio adjusted tactics, moving in formation while trying to escape the mist's range.

But the Hidden Mist Jutsu covered sixty meters in diameter—and they couldn't outrun him. No matter how fast they moved, the fog clung to them.

With no other choice, they tightened their formation, hyper-alert.

Shikudō, still defiant, shouted, "I refuse to believe you can—"

"Heart."

Before he could finish, that nightmare voice whispered again.

Shikudō's hand flew to his chest—more fish blood.

"Captain, we surrender! This is bullying!"

They had already been "killed" twice. Any further struggle was pointless.

Against a jonin, the Silent Killing technique might be limited—but against average chunin? Utterly devastating.

No wonder Momochi Zabuza had wiped out an entire class with it. Truly, the ultimate "low-tier stomp" jutsu.

"Who was the cocky one earlier?"

As the mist dissipated, Umino Yoru's figure materialized just ten meters behind them.

With his Water Mist Teleportation, closing that gap would take less than a breath.

When the fog fully cleared, the trio realized all eight vital points on their bodies—throat, spine, lung, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidney, and heart—had been silently marked with fish blood.

Total defeat. Humiliatingly so.

"Shikudō… your butt."

Kosuzu pointed at Shikudō's rear, concern in his eyes.

"Huh? What about my—?"

Shikudō twisted to look but, thanks to his thick neck and ample frame, couldn't see. He reached back instead—and pulled out a shuriken embedded in his left cheek.

"CAPTAIN! THIS IS MURDER! YOU EVEN USED POISON! WATER BAT NO. 6?!"

The green-tipped shuriken reeked of a familiar toxin—one Shikudō himself often used.

No wonder he hadn't felt it. Water Bat No. 6 caused instant numbness.

"Relax, kid. You're not dying."

Umino Yoru watched as Shikudō hastily downed an antidote, then smirked.

"Think of it as building immunity. Wouldn't want you accidentally poisoning yourself later, right?"

"Then why don't YOU—"

A single glare from Umino Yoru shut him up.

Grumbling, Shikudō tended to his wounded backside.

The captain had been merciful—the shuriken hadn't gone deep. And with Shikudō's… generous padding, even a full strike wouldn't have reached muscle or veins.

Just a little lesson in humility.

(And a very sore butt.)