Ch.179 Sound of the Biwa

The streets of a long town.

In the battle of the long streets, two groups of shinobi wearing the Akatsuki's red cloud cloaks fought, almost leveling the entire small town.

Until now, the Five Great Shinobi Villages hadn't figured out the reason behind that battle.

However, because one of the sides had their eyes engraved with the word 'Upper Moon', and the other eyes marked with symbols like 'Five' and 'Six', they were very easy to recognize. The Five Great Shinobi Villages temporarily labeled this group within Akatsuki as the 'Upper Moon Group,' estimating that the group consisted of about six members.

Because members with the 'Five' and 'Six' markings demonstrated strength at the level of elite jōnin, the archives of the Five Great Shinobi Villages specially noted that the first four members of this 'Upper Moon Group' were possibly at kage-level strength.

However, since that group went silent afterward, never appearing or clashing with the Five Great Shinobi Villages again, they weren't highlighted in subsequent meetings.

Still, as an eyewitness of that battle, Kakashi was fully aware of how strong these people were. Their power was certainly no less than the other members of Akatsuki.

Because of this, when Kakashi noticed the number 'Two' engraved in the eyes of the opponent, he immediately wore a serious expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

There was no need for Kakashi to even remind the others.

Just seeing the three pairs of eerie, crimson eyes on the enemy's face, along with the immense chakra that seemed almost palpable, the members of the United Shinobi Forces knew that they had encountered an exceptionally tough opponent.

Undoubtedly, the warrior with the three pairs of eyes and a stern expression standing there wasn't anyone else—he was Upper Moon Two from the Demon Slayer world, Kokushibo.

"Eyes engraved with symbols... It really is Akatsuki!" The Fourth Raikage let out a cold snort, then shouted toward Kokushibo, who stood at the entrance of the cave, "Hand over Yugito!"

Clang!

Kokushibo didn't respond with words. Instead, he slowly drew the long blade at his waist.

The Fourth Raikage immediately activated his 'Lightning Release Chakra Mode,' covering his entire body in a blue aura of lightning chakra. His eyes widened with a fierce glare.

Swish!

Without a single word, he flashed forward like lightning, charging directly at Kokushibo, who stood with the long blade in his hand at the entrance of the cave.

The United Shinobi Forces watched intently, focusing on how this eerie Akatsuki warrior, armed with a long sword, would respond to the enraged Fourth Raikage.

However, just as the Fourth Raikage lunged at Kokushibo, a clear sound of a biwa (a traditional Japanese lute) echoed from within the cave.

"!?"

The Fourth Raikage's full-powered assault struck nothing but air. He hesitated for a moment before realizing he was standing in an unfamiliar town.

Not only had Kokushibo, who should have been in front of him, vanished into thin air, but the rest of the members of the United Shinobi Forces were nowhere to be seen.

Elsewhere.

Kakashi, who seemed to have suddenly stepped into the void, landed on the ground. He looked around, and his expression instantly became grim.

The forest they had just been in had suddenly transformed into a large mansion.

"Is this a genjutsu?"

Activating his Sharingan, he scanned his surroundings.

He had encountered many genjutsu in his lifetime, but very few could deceive his Sharingan. Even if he couldn't break them immediately, he could at least recognize the interference of a genjutsu.

However, everything he saw in front of him appeared genuine, with no visible flaws.

Biting his tongue for a sharp jolt of pain, Asuma shook his head. "It doesn't seem to be a genjutsu!"

Then, stepping out of the room, he saw a narrow alley.

"How is this possible!?"

He was astonished.

During the pursuit, he had been keeping track of the terrain and directions, so he was very certain there were no towns near that untouched forest.

Jiraiya withdrew his hand from the wall, whispering, "Space-time ninjutsu...?"

The moment he realized this, his heart sank.

If the enemy had control over this level of space-time ninjutsu, it meant that the greatest advantage on their side—their numerical superiority—could not be fully utilized.

Moreover, the way the enemy activated the space-time ninjutsu left him feeling chilled.

Even his disciple, the man known as the 'Yellow Flash,' needed specially marked kunai to trigger his space-time jutsu.

Yet this time, there was no hand seal, no marked formula, not even a surge of chakra—the space-time ninjutsu simply activated out of nowhere.

"Wait, it was that sound of the biwa! There's another Akatsuki member hiding inside the cave!"

Jiraiya finally understood.

He then bit his finger, quickly formed hand seals, and pressed his hand firmly on the ground.

Poof!

In a puff of white smoke, the toad sages, Shima and Fukasaku, appeared.

Shima asked, "Jiraiya-boy, what's happening?"

Jiraiya quickly explained the situation, then looked at the two toad sages, "I'll need your help this time!"

Zabuza and two members of the Mist Village's assassination team were walking down the street.

Suddenly, Zabuza signaled to his companions, "Be careful, there's the smell of blood!"

The two Mist shinobi sniffed and indeed caught the faint scent of blood. They immediately drew the long blades strapped to their backs.

"Follow me!"

With a low shout, Zabuza rushed toward the direction of the blood scent.

The two Mist shinobi flanked Zabuza from either side, following closely behind him.

After passing through a narrow alley, Zabuza stopped. In front of him, the Akatsuki member dressed as a samurai was devouring the body of an Iwagakure shinobi.

The two Mist shinobi behind Zabuza were also shocked by what they saw.

Even as those from the Bloody Mist Village, they couldn't help but shiver at the sight.

They were no strangers to rumors of cannibalism in the Mist, but most of those stories were about venting anger or trying to intimidate others.

However, the Akatsuki member, with the 'Upper Moon Two' symbol in his eyes, was genuinely enjoying the act of eating someone.

The Mist shinobi could sense that as Kokushibo devoured the body, his chakra—like the bloody aura around him—seemed to grow stronger.

"Stop pretending to be a ghost!" Zabuza roared.

After that, he swiftly formed hand seals, activating the Hiding in Mist Technique.

In an instant, a thin mist enveloped the area.

Swish!

Suddenly, one of the Mist shinobi launched a surprise attack from within the mist, stabbing Kokushibo through the heart from behind with his blade.

As blood trickled down from the opponent's heart, the Mist shinobi sneered, "Is that all you've got?"

However, Kokushibo, with his heart pierced, slowly turned his head, his indifferent eyes falling upon the Mist shinobi.