24

The Four Formation Ice seal was anchored beneath the watchtowers that stood at each corner of the castle. A key that can open the formation is known as the Prison Master.

Clink!!!Clink!!!

The clinking sound of unsheathing and sheathing of the sword with his thumb sounded in the hallways very clearly.

A team of four officers, who must have responded to the clinking sound in the hallways and were on their way to the containment tanks, rounded the corner. When they saw a man walking towards them while playing with his sword.

They froze, "What's going on here?", one of them demanded, "Who are you?"

"Ghost", He said while still playing with his sword as four guards in front of him resolutely pulled out their weapons.

However... there was no one in front of them.

"This... what's going on? Did he escape?"

"Are you guys afraid", The very next moment, Ghost's soft words sounded in their ears. He was already standing in their midst for some unknown time.

Surprised as they were the four of them still attacked at the same time instinctively. Blood flows as all of them were dead in an instant.

"Stop right there...!!"

Ghost sighed at the naivety of the newcomer as he turn back to look at her. She could have just attacked at first sight without making a noise. Well, it wouldn't have made a difference though.

"Ghost of Konoha", She said as she came forward, "You have done countless felonies. As one of the wardens of this Jail. I'm taking you back into custody. Don't resist, or I'll resort to the use of force", She slammed her fist into her palm, her chakra sparking. She then addressed the guards behind her, "You two, back me up. Kenji-san, go trigger the alarm"

"Roger!" they answered in unison. Under any other circumstance, the guards would have trembled in the face of such an overwhelming threat.

But they stood their ground. Their resolve had steeled from the dynamic force of Makiri's leadership. In here, she is yet to be beaten.

"You know who I am, yet, You are not afraid of me... Interesting", Ghost's gaze slid past Makiri, the prison warden, to the guard who sprinted down the hall. Kenji. Extending his finger, the sheathed sword trembled, and the blade was free from the sheath.

The next instant, it blurred towards Kenji at a breakneck speed, but Makiri responded by stepping into the gap between them. A chakra pulse rippled around her waist, knocking the sword off its course and into the wall with a clatter.

She then knit her fingers together, and a wall of ice formed further down the hall, isolating Ghost and his sword from Kenji. Her techniques actually earned some admiration from him— as futile as her efforts were.

"Step away from that man", Makiri reiterated, "I won't repeat myself again"

Ghost looked at her confused, it's been a long time since someone stands so fearlessly in front of him, is she brave or just foolish, "Are you sure you're the one who should be making demands here?", he asked. His finger moved yet again, and the black sword trembled once again before breaking through the ice, killing Kenji in what seemed to be a ray of black light.

Makiri froze, 'Fast', She saw her dead comrade's body, before gritting her teeth in anger, "Ghost", Makiri yelled through gritted teeth. As the sword flew back to its sheath at once.

Burning with anger, Makiri pulled out a sword of her own, with a "hum" the sword trembled and was immediately covered in chakra.

Makiri furiously stares at him, "Tonight... you shall die", She dashed toward him. Her sword was vibrating furiously by the chakra.

Ghost indifferently stares at her, "Do you know what's the greatest trick the devil ever played?"

Makiri slashed at him, but he effortlessly blocked her attack by catching the slash with his fingers, and the chakra wave on the sword vanished abruptly, stunned she was, she looked at him with wide eyes as Ghost push her back effortlessly...

"Damn you..!", Makiri shouted, her eyes filled with rage.

Without wasting any time, she was already done with her hand signs as she gathered some water from the surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. Water release: Thousand flying water needles Jutsu was instantly used as she directed those needles at Ghost who made a clone for some reason.

Ghost and his clone were unable to dodge the incoming barrage of water needles and with blood spitting out of his mouth, he and his clone fell, pierced by the water needles all over his body.

However, even when she succeeded in defeating Ghost, she didn't feel much joy. Why? Because it was too easy. If it's this easy to kill Ghost, then how the hell was he creating so much havoc outside..?!

At this time, Ghost's illusionary voice sounded from thin air, "The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist"

The surrounding space shattered like a mirror, and Makiri's eyes almost came out of her eye sockets.

She just killed her subordinates with her own hands.

"Makiri sama... why?!", The guards lay dead, pierced by her very own water needles.

"No!!!!", She wailed and roared, she was the one who valued her comrades more than anyone else, and yet she was the one who killed them.

This entire fight was in her dreams, she was just a puppet under his Genjutsu.

"How do you think he did that..?!" He continued, as she turned around to attack again, but her blade was caught yet again. The chakra flow in the blade stopped yet again.

Makiri wanted to believe that she could hurt him, but she couldn't, she was the one who attacked him. And yet, she was the one who lost.

"The only way the devil could disappear was if the world never saw his face, never heard his name, and only knew him by his deeds. If people forgot everything about him, then he became nothing more than an idea. That's where he hid, that's where he dwelled. Nothing more, nothing less"

He was far beyond her reach, she was trying to fight him using everything she has, ninjutsu, taijutsu, Genjutsu, and yet nothing is working...

"But today, this prison will see the devil's face", His words echoed as he caught her charka-imbued fist with one hand; hot chakra, burned, and seared Makiris' left arm. Sucking her life force simultaneously, "And they will pay for this sin"

The pain was so intense that it felt like her entire arm was on fire. As if someone poured gasoline on a bonfire, "Watch carefully, this is how I look, hear my voice, remember me, and forget me by dying..."

Her vision was clouded by tears of pain as she watched herself on the verge of losing consciousness. She knew that she was beaten thoroughly. This is the end of her life, and to think she didn't even touch a single hair on her opponent's body.

"Even in death, remember this... those who see the devil's face will never see another dawn"

Makiri's eyelids quivered with heaviness as the last thing she saw was Ghost standing before her, he let go of her hand and before she knew it she was dropping to the ground weakly, and for the first time in her life, she was terrified as her vision faded into the darkness; her body became nothing more than an empty shell.

His eyes glance aside; he could sense Mei was in his cell.

The lights in the hall flickered red soon after, and an announcement blared over the emergency signal, resounding through the underground complex.

"Emergency alert! Prisoner 0789 has managed to escape! This is not a drill. Repeat: This is not a drill"

A string of instructions followed. In the distance, he heard reverberating bangs as the emergency blast doors slammed shut, blocking off entire sections of corridors in an attempt to prevent the breakout from reaching the surface.

He smirked, they must have no idea just who they are trying to catch. Tonight, they shall witness his true self...

With a poof..!! of smoke, a flute appeared in his hand, and as if to prove his words with his deeds, he blew into the flute, and a strange sound emerged from it as he began to play the ethereal song of death...