17

Applying chakra to his feet to glue them to the rooted ground beneath him, Tsuna stood perfectly still before using the Chakra Hardening Technique to increase his own durability. He'd play the waiting game, "Let's see what he would do next"

Seeing as though his enemies had become perfectly still, Ghost surveyed the many fluctuations of chakra taking place within the man's body. An impressive degree of control, he had to admit.

However, he was fighting a wrong opponent, by pressing his hand against the soil beneath his feet. From underground, Ghost forced a barrier to arise on the surface itself.

The cylinder, however, had not expanded nearly enough to cause any form of damage to Tsuna, though the top had manifested some sort of lid, negating any exit from anywhere.

At the standstill of Tsuna, Sanka had to smack himself mentally. Surely Tsuna should've known that standing still against a faceless Ghost was not wise.

Even if Sanka was there to act as his extra pair of eyes. In a flash, Tsuna found himself trapped within a barrier. His partner Sanka was basically stripped away from him, but it wouldn't be for too long.

Tsuna saw all that was happening and choose to be patient in his dealings with these techniques. Some random chakra thing beneath him, some fiery barrier around him. These were boring.

He is far too capable to deal with these things. But his opponent is nothing to sneeze at. The man with thousand faces who never failed to kill those that dare to stand against him.

But he should probably get out of this barrier now. A vast quantity of mist poured out of his body, obscuring himself and his chakra completely from view, "Water Release: Hidden mist Jutsu", Only his voice could be heard in this thick mist.

The barrier cracked under the strength of Tsuna's chakra onslaught, in a graceful moment of equilibrium, the top of the barrier appeared to crack open before crumbling into dust.

One of his arms, however, reached downwards and formed a solid barrier between him and whatever is beneath him.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he dare not risk it. He can't afford to make the slightest mistake against this man. He had to be ready for any counterplay. For a moment he saw a hand underneath his barrier, going back under the ground after the failed attack like some kind of a worm.

Tsuna forced himself to look down below the barrier, but there was nothing. Even so, the ground below him trembled as if something was crawling on the other side, the very air itself being crushed by this ghostly figure's immense power.

With a deep breath, Tsuna dared not to let his guard down even for a second.

Sanka on the other hand did not stop releasing a torrent of mist all across the area. His eyes could still easily see through it, though tsuna might be at disadvantage. This mist was filled with chakra all around and was too thick for anyone to even get a clear view. Other than those cheating eyes, Byakugan and Sharingan; none should have been able to see through it and could only fight with their experience, but the problem is, their opponent was not just any sensor type.

It was the closest balance Sanka could get, and hopefully, it'd force their little worm out of the ground.

In this havoc of the mist, a clone surfaced from the ground. Ghost chose to finally reveal himself, or rather, his clone chose to reveal itself. The clone stood in the contents of the mist, his hands met one another, brilliantly applauding the work of the fearsome couple.

"Well done indeed", Came the voice of Ghost through the mist. The clone made no further movements, "I must commend the efforts of Mizukage's best team. The two of you have certainly piqued my interest"

The air around the clone shimmered, becoming an illusion, making it hard to tell what was real and what was fake.

Sanka had his spear ready. Bring his hands near his mouth he whistled, and in that instance, the area began to fill itself into a thicker and suffocating mist.

Tsuna wasn't far from Sanka in the first place, and from basic knowledge, he wordlessly scooted himself closer to Sanka, covering Sanka's back. Or more so, Sanka covering his.

"Your voice and chakra are different from the time you were talking in Mizukage's tower. Every time I see you, I feel like I am meeting a brand new person for the first time. Incredible indeed", Sanka said

The clone didn't say anything but stood there, listening to his prey talking.

"Power isn't what makes a shinobi. It's how one carries themselves. A shinobi who can walk in front of you, and still be hidden. Now that is a powerful man", As Sanka stated, he formulated an echoing effect, "You are truly a powerful man. Ghost of Konoha"

Sanka placed the metal blade portion of his spear on the ground. The clone standing before them just continue standing in his location.

At a moment's notice, all was too quiet. Much too quiet. The customary tactic of Kirigakure shinobi. However, what awaited the duo was quite a performance.

Ghost's true prowess and sheer speed are not something that can be described in mere words.

No shinobi, no matter how powerful or capable, was unable to prevail against him till now. They might be good enough to run away. But they can never hope to survive against him if he is out there for a kill.

Without raising so much as a hand sign, Ghost stood firm. He offered his persecutors nothing, showing no mercy without any intention of letting them escape. He would surely take their lives without warning.

Clink!

He pushed his sword out using his thumb. The clinking sound in this mist made it seem more frightening. At that instant, he takes one single step forward, while drawing his sword at that exact moment out of the hilt before returning it to the hilt the very instant the technique is completed.

Sanka's head fell, rolling on the ground, severing the many ties it had with the rest of his body, and therefore, killing him in an instant.

Tsuna looks stunned for a moment, as his partner was killed in the blink of an eye, he was right there to protect his back yet... Sensing the presence of something on his back, Tsuna quickly turned his head to look at his back. He saw the shadow of a figure behind him standing there staring at him.

Sanka was quick to move, his movements were fast and steady as he jumps to avoid Ghost's bloody range...

However, Ghost still didn't move. His eyes glance at Tsuna, and his clone detonated randomly. Not only frightening Tsuna but also pushing him into a near-death situation.

The blast was powerful, enough to completely nullify the precaution he had taken earlier of increasing his own durability. Whether or not he had survived the blast was in question, as a large cloud of smoke began to overwrite the mist.

'Damn it'

He took precautions against Ghost's over-the-top speed and his beyond-incredible Kenjutsu. Making sure that he does not die like his partner. The explosion, however, was less expected. While he kept Ghost from coming into contact with him, it did nothing to stop the concussive force of the blast.

The thing about the Chakra Hardening Technique is that even though blades wouldn't penetrate the user's body with it active. It makes them heavy.

In this case, with Tsuna being absolutely still in addition to his extreme chakra control, the amount of force required to move him was actually quite high. But despite what the people might think, the blunt force even though useless against this particular use of this technique, was enough to move him around, and an explosion with no shrapnel is the very definition of blunt force.

Instead of being blown to pieces, he was sent flying. After soaring nearly 30 meters away from the masked assassin, he finally released the technique. He created a water clone before splitting up with it, each releasing far more mist to obscure the area completely.

He knew he had no chance against Ghost. No matter what area they compete in, This masked assassin is inhumanly fast, he is a monster in terms of skills.

And he has that broken innate ability to absorb and negate Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, fuinjutsu, he is immune to poison. He is freaking immune to everything. This ability is something everyone saw in the third world shinobi war. Ranging from earth release to lightning release to even Kekkei Genkai nothing ever managed to touch him during the war...!

The only way to kill him is by using taijutsu. And maybe using the chakra sealing chains might work too.

Then again, For all these to work against him, Ghost has that hax ability of phasing, and his sheer mastery over that particular Jutsu is utterly terrifying as well. Not to mention his other relevant skills that are enough to scare anyone alive.

Trying to fight him is like fighting a god, an ultimate enemy.

One might ask why not surprise attack him with Jutsu like Flying thunder god. Attack him before he has a chance to react. But that technique was only known to a single man from Konoha who is now dead. Besides, that is easier said than done.

You see, his sensing prowess is worse than the devil itself. His sensory prowess is something that makes it possible for him to never be surprised. Allowing him to sense the attack before the attack even initiates while giving him the free time to react even against techniques such as Flying thunder god.

He can very well block against the fastest of opponents fairly easily.

The only way anyone could hope to stand a chance against him is by taking away his out-of-the-world sensory prowess. Something that Tsuna deems impossible. But still gave it a try.

At long last, the real body of Ghost had his hand arose from the depths of the ground, the scene reminiscent of the dead rising from their graves. A mask covering his identity; his physique hidden by a black hooded robe.

As Ghost became fully tangible, and at that very moment, the entirety of the mist was broken into pure raw chakra and absorbed into his being.

Why did he do so? It's because he has to know something from his soon-to-be-dead prey. Something, that he could only ask face to face. With no mist around.

He stood firm, observing the other side of the battlefield, where a confident Tsuna stood in place. The corpse of his partner lying on the ground. The detonation Ghost had commanded earlier had caused Sanka's body to separate into several different pieces, his arms, and legs flying everywhere.

"I can sense your fear. You knew it was a suicide mission, but you both still decided to take it. Why?", Ghost asked

Tsuna stares at the man with no emotions, "We do what we are told to do. Besides, what can I do? Let you destroy Kiri as per your pleasure?! You even took Mei from me...!"

"You know Mei..?!"

"Everyone knows her, but I... I have been with her since we were just kids. I always thought we would end up together"

Ghost shrugged, "That's why you mark your territory early. Well, that wouldn't have mattered anyway...!"

Tsuna sighed, "Yes, it wouldn't have mattered. If she was to fall in love with me, she would have fallen a long time ago. If I could make her fall in love with me, I would have done it ages back. I am not worthy enough for someone like her... but you are not worthy of her either..!"

Ghost remained stoic under his mask, "That's a touching speech...!"

Ghost's chakra overflows like an infinite boundless stream of blades, bringing a catastrophic all-crushing aura with it. In mere moments, his body and the entire area around them are enveloped in pure raw chakra. His eyes, however, were as vacant as ever.

"You want her. But she doesn't want you. So what are you gonna do..?! win her by force? Or else die trying? That's it? What if I were to tell you that I am of the same age as you guys, yet I managed to seduce her in less than a year; that I could bed her anytime I want; How would you feel about it..?!"

At this very moment, the world began to shake as Ghost raised his sword horizontally while staring at Tsuna. The chakra around him rose to a dangerous level, "You're pathetic...", He said and waved his sword at Tsuna. A wave of pure energy brought destructive shockwaves towards Tsuna that easily destroys the area around them...!

Tsuna; against whom the shockwave was aimed at, just growled and disappeared into a puff of smoke. Being a shadow clone all along. The place he was standing on, just got obliterated from existence.

The real Tsuna was directly behind Ghost, moving at full speed, "I learned some tricks from Konoha shinobis too. One of them is a useful technique that even fool sensors"

Stepping right behind Ghost, he was about to unleash one of his kinjutsu straight between Ghost's shoulder blades, though he was extremely careful to leave a chakra barrier up using his tenketsu so they wouldn't touch each other.

This is the only thing he could do to hurt him, the blast is not made of chakra but was just enhanced by his ability. In exchange for the blow, he would have to bear the pain of having his entire chakra blown away.

But it has enough power to instantly kill even a person as strong as Ghost. And Ghost knew this as well, the sensory prowess allows Ghost to sense the battle in greater detail. The instant the clone was formed, Ghost's senses told him everything.

The thing about sensors is, they can not be tricked, but there are some techniques that can even trick them, Shadow clone Jutsu is one of them. That's why Byakugan and Sharingan are so busted because they can not be fooled like this, along with other things that come with those cheating eyes...

But Ghost is different. His sensory prowess is beyond anything the world has ever seen; he sensed the attack before the attack was even initiated in the first place. He could choose to dodge the attack. He has the speed and skill to do so. But he chose not to do so.

Ghost's clone raised from within the ground, rising a few inches from the ground, and immediately jumped in between the real body of Ghost and Tsuna. Taking the blunt force of the damage.

Ghost, who was behind the clone, raised his hand to form a single-hand sign. The clone, detonated, in a far greater explosion than before. The previous explosion, which exploded some distance away, had managed great damage on Tsuna, not to mention kicking him back over 100 feet in distance. This attack would have blown him instead.

However, this time, Tsuna had surfaced yet another barrier, which in reality, was a reactive barrier, activated by instinct. Such a barrier did not possess enough strength to survive the explosion, however, it was barely enough to protect Tsuna.

But in the midst of the heated battle, Tsuna forgot about the corpse they found at the start of this battle. That clone that was manifested through the perfect balance of Yin-Yang energy, this detonation was unlike any other.

A two-directional powerful blast, combined with the exploding Kinjutsu was sufficient to destroy a large portion of the forest itself, alerting the shinobis guarding the Kirigakure. The large-scale blast could be seen from miles, creating a mushroom cloud that invoked fear and suspicion within just about everyone who witnessed it. All that was left was a crater, symbolizing a great battle that had once taken place there. Shinobi would arrive soon from everywhere.

However, as they took their sweet time getting there, Ghost still stood in place, having survived the detonation without even a scratch. Even his clothes didn't show any signs of being torn or burn in any way.

Dust continued to clear, as Ghost stood tall, staying behind to ensure his opponent knew something, the smoke finally cleared enough to see Tsuna.

Tsuna had managed to blunt the majority of the explosion, though it had taken nearly every inch of his chakra to do so. As the dust settled, he was still alive, albeit barely, but was laying at the bottom of a deep crater that had formed when the ground cracked from the force of the explosion and his counter.

The sheer magnitude of the blast was enough to completely transform what was once a forest into a barren wasteland. Ghost stood calmly, watching Tsuna still alive and intact after the sequence, a testament to the skills of an elite. Though he would not live long. Tsuna now knows a secret that no one in this world knows, Ghost's age.

Why did he tell Tsuna his age though..?! Because no one in this world can save Tsuna today.

Ghost simply walked up to him into the crater, entirely unharmed, and untouched throughout the battle. He looked at the man lying weakly, "At this moment, a bunch of Kiri shinobis are coming here. Including Mei Terumi"

"..."

Ghost slowly raised his sword in front of Tsuna, "I have lived a lot of lives, played lots of characters, telling lies throughout my entire life while wearing thousands of faces. I have done things you can not even begin to fathom, fought battles, and taken missions so frantic where it seems like everything is lost, all the while destroying lives and bringing despair to people I choose to be near..."

Tsuna didn't respond, or rather he couldn't respond. He is way too injured already, the wounds on his body are fatal and yet Ghost was still unharmed. Not even one scratch, not a single line. But he still glared at the assassin in front of him. He might die today, but he will not lose. Not to a guy he lost Mei to.

"You cannot beat me, you could have never beaten me. Even if we fight till the end of this world itself, it won't do anything but waste your time. But to think, even now, you are trying to force your will on me with your eyes...!" Ghost's fake eyes remained expressionless, "Why?! Because you hate me? Because I took away the love of your life..?! I don't give a shit about you or her!..."

"..."

"However, in all of this nonsense, you are right about one thing, she deserves better than a man who isn't worthy of being called a human. I hope your death can tell her that"

Tsuna was speechless. Did this man..?!

He lowered the sword, killing the man, and piercing Tsuna's heart.

If it was before he would burn their body and disappear only after removing his tracks. He did not do so for the first time.

He never intended to approach Mei Terumi since the very start, he didn't even know what was going on in this locked nation, his only purpose in showing off a bit of his limitless chakra was just so that Mizukage could sense it and send someone to recruit him under his cover.

But once she arrived the plan failed. He didn't know she wasn't working for Miuzkage at that time but was a rebel instead. But even after all that, it made no difference to him in anyway.

Though things changed somewhere along the way. Otherwise, with his capabilities and going by his record, he would have already bedded her by now and even killed her when she was of no use anymore.

Unknown to anyone, however, her ill-fated relationship with him and his fated betrayal will make a naïve princess like Mei, into someone who will lead the rebellion to victory, she will become crooked and vicious, just like him.

One day she will realize that this is a world where all men and women are guilty of crimes so heinous they can never be redeemed by anyone, but not everyone gets punished. The more you fight, the harder it becomes to survive and the longer you live, the more you realize that the only thing truly exists in this reality are merely pain, suffering, and futility.

One day, she will unite one of the five most powerful village in the whole world, Kirigakure no sato, as the legendary fifth Mizukage...

In the distance, Ghost felt the presence of reinforcements, coming from Kirigakure. They were scavengers, coming to extract whatever information they could from the aftermath of the battle.

Though he could choose to leave little to no evidence behind, Ghost wanted Mei to see what would happen to her if she continue to be with him. He is not a man to make a family with. He is a monster from inside and out.

As the smoke cleared entirely, Ghost was no longer present. Shinobi from Kirigakure began their hunt, searching every inch of the battlefield for the slightest bit of information.

Mei stood there. Staring at the head of her friend, Tsuna, his body lying inside the cracked dry ground, his blood dripping down his mouth.

Her eyes teared as she watched him lying there, motionless. No life in his eyes. Not a single ounce of spirit was left within his body. She knew that he was dead. A corpse just like the rest of them.

Mei clenched her fists as tears flowed down her face. The pain she felt was indescribable. Tsuna has been her friend since they were kids, she knew his feelings but she didn't feel the same way. She wanted him to confess so that she could reject him and allow him to move on. She didn't want him to suffer because of her. But he never did.

And she hated him for that fact. She closed her eyes as her fists tightened even further. Her eyes burned from anger and desperation. She wanted to take this pain out on someone else. To relieve herself from the pain, but she didn't know where she could go to do so.

"Who... who was it?!", She uttered with her fists clenched as her tears fell. She wanted to kill someone! Someone who was responsible for her pain and suffering...

"Who do you think it was..?!..", Mizukage came from behind her with a smile.