Chapter 61 : It's Your Turn!!

"It's your turn."

The tall and burly figure seemed to merge with the shadows, disappearing into the depths of darkness.

His voice, raspy and grating, was like a blade dragging across glass, sending chills down the spines of Shimizu and Daigo. The sound was unnerving, crawling into their ears like an unwelcome intruder.

What was happening? Countless thoughts raced through their minds, each one quickly dismissed as they faced the terrifying scene in front of them. This was entirely beyond their expectations.

An incident had disrupted the Chunin Exam. Konoha had been infiltrated by mysterious ninjas, leaving examiners and candidates alike dead in their wake. 

Shimizu sifted through the chaos in her mind, trying to make sense of it all, but the more she thought, the more terrifying it became.

Who had the power to invade Konoha, the most powerful ninja village, and kill so many people without anyone noticing?

A cold sweat ran down her back as her pupils constricted with fear.

Then, a surge of killing intent washed over them like a tidal wave. It was dense, almost tangible, making the very air feel heavy. 

The murderous aura felt like it had a life of its own, crashing into them with force.

Shimizu, Daigo, and their companion looked up, their eyes meeting the bloodshot gaze of a tall, muscular man emerging from the darkness. He was covered in flesh and blood, his presence as ominous as a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

His gaze was sharp and jagged, like a dull blade slowly tearing through skin. Every inch of their bodies felt exposed under his scrutiny, like they were cattle being prepared for slaughter.

Szzzz—

The butcher's serrated cleaver scraped across the stone floor, sending a shower of sparks into the air. 

Each step he took was slow and deliberate, crunching over corpses and discarded flesh. The thick stench of blood was overwhelming, hitting the trio like a hammer to the head.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Each step he took resonated like a drumbeat, amplifying the pressure bearing down on them. It felt as if the entire room was pulsing with his heavy footsteps, echoing their impending doom.

The air around them seemed to freeze, turning into countless icy steel needles that pierced through every nerve in their brains. The intense chill surged in waves, driving their hearts into turmoil. 

The atmosphere was suffused with the sharp scent of blood, and fear reached its peak.

"Run! We need to run!" 

A previously unnoticed companion suddenly grabbed both Shimizu and Daigo by the arms, trying to pull them to safety. "Why are you just standing there?" he shouted.

His loud voice snapped them out of their stupor, jolting them awake. Blood stained their clothes, and they began sweating profusely, as if all moisture was being sucked out of them.

Yes! Why were they standing still? They needed to escape.

Moments earlier, they had been paralyzed, unable to move under the chilling gaze of the mysterious figure.

"Let's go!" Shimizu quickly formed a hand seal and took a deep breath. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A gust of wind blasted through the area, sending sand and rocks flying, creating a cloud of dust that obscured vision.

"Now!" Shimizu shouted to her companions as they turned to flee toward the exit. 

However, just as she turned back, a rusty hammer—coated with a sticky white-red substance—came crashing down on her companion's head with a sickening thud.

Bang!

The impact was brutal, shattering her companion's skull like a fragile watermelon. White and red matter splattered everywhere, with chunks flying in all directions. The thick, warm, nauseating fluid hit Shimizu and Daigo's faces, leaving them gasping in horror. 

"Kiyoshi!" Shimizu screamed, her eyes wide with fear. But Kiyoshi could no longer hear her. His head had been crushed to bits.

"Come on, Shimizu!" Daigo reacted quickly, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her toward safety.

The object strapped to his back, concealed under tight wrappings, now revealed its true form: a sophisticated wooden puppet.

**Sound of grinding, creaking.**

Daigo's fingers flickered as he controlled his humanoid puppet with chakra threads. The puppet's joints creaked as it moved, raising its arms to reveal black copper tubes in its palms. 

A flurry of sharp silver needles shot out like a storm, aimed directly at the massive, menacing figure in front of them.

**Thud, thud, thud.**

The silver needles struck with precision, piercing the butcher's thick skin. Blood spurted out as he staggered back a few steps.

"Hurry, Shimizu!" Daigo grabbed Shimizu, who was still frozen in shock, and started running. He didn't even dare to glance back. The heavy breathing, coarse and beast-like, trailed behind them, indicating that the butcher wasn't dead yet.

As they turned the corner and took a few quick steps, the sinister sense of murderous intent was upon them once more. 

The butcher's jagged meat cleaver scraped along the stone pavement, the grating sound slicing through the air. It felt as if the killer's shadow was pressing down on them.

The mere ten meters to the exit seemed like a vast, impassable distance to Shimizu and Daigo. They pushed themselves to their limits, racing toward the door.

**Just one more step!**

They reached out, arms straining, fingers stretching toward the door that shone with a sliver of light. It was their beacon of hope, their escape from this butcher's lair of carnage.

Closer, closer. 

The tips of their fingers finally touched the door. Freedom was just a push away. With all their strength, they pushed, eager to escape this hell of butchered bodies and meat, away from the relentless, terrifying butcher.

**Creak!**

But the moment Shimizu's fingers touched the door, it felt as solid as a rock. No matter how hard they pushed, the door wouldn't budge.

"I can't open it?" Shimizu's expression changed drastically. Fear seeped into her eyes.

"Step aside! Let me try!" Daigo gathered his chakra and punched the door with all his might.

**Boom!**

Ripples spread across the wooden door, like stones thrown into a pond. But the door held firm.

"It's a barrier!"

Daigo's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he gritted his teeth. "There's a barrier here!" he exclaimed.

A faint light shone through the gap in the door, hinting at freedom. But that hope was short-lived, plunging the pair into deeper despair. A monstrous figure—the "Butcher"—dragged a serrated cleaver, inching toward them step by step.

The massive blade scraped against the ground, sending sparks flying and producing a grating sound that made Daigo and Shimizu's hearts nearly stop.

"Fight him!" Daigo yelled, his fingers tugging on the chakra threads connected to his puppet. "Shimizu, cooperate with me!"

The puppet's limbs shook and trembled erratically before darting toward the Butcher, hovering just above the ground. 

Realizing escape wasn't an option, Shimizu steeled herself. She threw several shurikens while rapidly forming hand seals. 

"Wind Release: Wind Blades!"

The wind blades hit the Butcher's body, digging deep into his flesh. The razor-sharp wind blades that followed sliced through him, sending a spray of blood into the air. 

As the puppet approached, its mouth opened, releasing a dense cloud of purple poisonous mist.

"This is Sunagakure's secret poison!" Daigo pulled hard on the chakra threads. "Try this on!"

Under his control, the puppet extended its arms, deploying multiple hidden weapons to encircle the towering figure within the poisonous mist. The weapons burst forth with a roar, a storm of metal and death cascading toward the Butcher.

Shimizu wasn't done yet. She took a deep breath and unleashed her chakra, blowing a powerful gust of wind into the thickening mist.

The Butcher was now engulfed in a storm of toxins and projectiles, but was it enough to stop him? The tension in the air was palpable. Would their combined assault be enough to defeat the nightmare that stalked them?

"Wind Release: Sky Cannon!"

A blast of highly compressed wind chakra shot through the thick poisonous mist like a barrage of cannon fire.

The tall figure hidden within the toxic cloud was struck directly by the powerful wind attack.

"He's done for now!" Shimizu was confident there was no way the guy could survive Sky Cannon's force.

Both she and Daigo were breathing heavily, exhausted from the intense battle.

Shimizu kept her eyes on the poisonous mist, but her expression grew increasingly tense. Her pupils slowly shrank, and fear began to settle in again.

"It's impossible," she whispered.

From the dense fog, a tall and muscular figure emerged, wielding a massive serrated cleaver in one hand and a hammer in the other.

Despite having several large holes blown through him by the cannon, with blood flowing freely, and steel needles and other hidden weapons sticking out from his body, he continued to move, like an emotionless machine.

"It's your turn," he said.

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