22 Chapter 22: Erasing All Traces

At this moment.

Hyuga Sora felt an extremely difficult time breathing.

Coupled with exhaustion, his mind went blank.

Not only couldn't he figure out what was happening, but his entire being was enveloped in the aura of death.

"Let... let me go..."

Hyuga Sora's hoarse voice squeezed out of his throat. He felt like his throat was about to be crushed. The intense fear and desire to survive forced him to surrender and plead for mercy.

"I let you off the hook when you followed me into the woods!"

Araki's icy voice suddenly resounded, clear and without the language barrier he had shown before.

""I let you off again when I was questioning you!"

"Now you want me to let you go again!"

"I'm not a horse to be set free!"

As Araki spoke, he tightened his grip on Hyuga Sora's hand, gradually increasing the pressure. The suffocating sensation intensified, and his face turned as red as an inflated persimmon.

"Why... why... why..."

Hyuga Sora's breath grew shorter, completely in a state of suffocation. But he still mustered his last bit of strength to try to ask the question that was in his heart. However, by the end, he couldn't utter a word.

"Why can I kill you?"

A cold curve suddenly appeared at the corner of Araki's mouth. He stared at the flushed face of Hyuga Sora and said slowly, "You thought I was your prey, but in fact, I am the hunter. The true hunter often appears in the form of prey."

Snap!

After Araki finished speaking his final words, a burst of force erupted from his hand, accompanied by the sound of snapping bones.

At the same time, Hyuga Sora's eyes widened, his pale eyes bulging fiercely. The vitality in his gaze had completely vanished, and his body stopped struggling and went limp.

And thus.

Hyuga Sora no longer had the breath of life.

A young life ended just like that.

"I've been so low-key, why did you have to provoke me?"

Araki helplessly shook his head as he stared at the lifeless Hyuga Sora. His low-key behavior was all for the sake of peacefully cultivating chakra. It didn't mean he was a cowardly person by nature; it was just a strategic way to conceal his true nature.

"You're just a member of the Hyuga branch, yet you're so arrogant. At your age, you can't even open the Byakugan, let alone see through the Hidden Mist Technique. You really think highly of yourself!"

Araki casually threw Hyuga Sora's body to the ground. His expression didn't change at all, and there was not a hint of panic because of the act of killing.

In the world of ninjas, death was an all-too-common occurrence.

Every village has deaths every day.

If Araki had traveled to a peaceful era, there might have been dedicated individuals to investigate when someone dies.

However, in the ninja world, such incidents are not investigated separately.

Of course, that doesn't mean he should be negligent.

Araki crouched down and looked at Hyuga Sora's body. Although this classmate was young, he belonged to the Hyuga clan, so handling his body required caution.

First, Araki took out Hyuga Sora's ninja tool pouch and examined its contents. Aside from a few shuriken, there was also a small amount of money.

These were spoils of war.

Araki placed everything into his own ninja tool pouch.

Then, he took out a shuriken and pierced it into Hyuga Sora's eyes.

Splut! Splut!

As the sound of two punctures echoed, the once white eyes turned instantly red, stained with their own blood, displaying a vivid hue.

Araki then took out two explosive tags. These items were quite expensive, and he only had three in total, kept as reserves. But now, they were being used.

"I was still ill-prepared..."

Araki inwardly sighed. He had never intended to kill anyone in Konoha; his intention had always been to remain low-profile. But this time, Hyuga Sora had actively sought him out.

If he couldn't solve the problem, he had to solve the person causing it.

It was precisely this reason that made him realize his lack of preparation when handling Hyuga Sora's body.

Next time, he must bring some corpse-dissolving liquid.

Such a substance might not always be necessary, but it couldn't be absent. If he had had some corpse-dissolving liquid this time, it would have made the handling much easier.

Corpse-dissolving liquid was commonly used by ANBU ninja. It was often used on the battlefield, where there was no time or environment to handle corpses. Instead, the liquid was used to dissolve the bodies, greatly reducing the chance of the enemy obtaining them and researching the village's secret techniques.

Obtaining corpse-dissolving liquid is not so easy, but it is very practical. Araki plans to find an opportunity to acquire some and keep it on him when he returns.

Araki quickly tore off Hyuga Sora's clothes and attached explosive tags to his body.

Sizzle...

As soon as Araki attached the explosive tags and activated them, they emitted a series of sounds.

In an instant,

Araki's hands began to form seals skillfully.

"Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Prison Technique!)

Araki's right hand reached out, as if possessing magical power, and a rushing stream of water surged forth, swiftly enveloping Hyuga Sora's body.

Boom—

A muffled explosion followed, but the sound seemed muted as if there were a soundproof barrier, lacking any imposing force.

The explosive tags detonated entirely within the water prison.

The powerful force directly shattered Hyuga Sora's body, which then strangely ignited within the water. The splattering blood did not touch the ground, only staining the water prison that confined the area.

The entire process appeared to have no significant effect, but only Araki knew that he was disposing of Hyuga Sora's body in a way that would not trace back to him.

Suddenly,

A pool of water formed beneath Araki's feet.

Swiftly, it transformed into another humanoid figure visible to the naked eye—an exact replica of Araki, the Water Clone.

After exchanging a glance with Araki, the Water Clone began forming precise seals with its hands.

"Doton: Doryū Taiga!" (Earth Release: Earth Flow River!)

After completing the seals, the Water Clone clapped its hands onto the ground, instantly turning the area into a rotating muddy swamp. It resembled a vortex, but with a very small area, lacking any practical combat effectiveness.

Araki had no intention of using this ninjutsu in actual combat.

He wanted to destroy the evidence!

Araki continuously reduced the size of the water prison he held in his right hand. Beneath the immersion of the crimson water sphere, nothing inside could be seen anymore.

Then,

The red water sphere made contact with the swirling muddy swamp.

The point of contact on the water sphere started to rotate, drawing the mud into itself and burrowing into the ground, even slightly darkening the soil.

After a few seconds,

The entire water sphere, carrying Hyuga Sora's remnants, disappeared into the depths of the earth.

The swirling muddy swamp came to a halt.

The ground began to restore its dried appearance.

There was no discernible difference whatsoever.