Chapter: 16 A Year Passes Quickly

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Amidst the forest, an intense battle raged on for over ten minutes.

"Izumi, you handle controlling Maya. I'll deal with them," Kyosuke commanded.

As soon as he spoke, he dashed toward the enemy with his short blade.

Ten minutes earlier, their team had successfully intercepted the enemy group.

Lacking long-range firepower, they had Izumi Uchiha initiate the attack with a Fire Release jutsu while Kyosuke led Mayoi in close-range combat.

However, this time, they encountered a formidable foe.

The enemy team was equipped with a well-coordinated Ino–Shika–Cho trio, working in seamless harmony.

The Akimichi member, using the Expansion Jutsu, disrupted Kyosuke and Mayoi's charge.

Meanwhile, the cunning Yamanaka clan member took control of Maya's body.

Risking it all, Kyosuke used the Body Flicker Technique to eliminate the enemies in front of him.

But when he turned around, Maya was already holding a kunai to his throat.

[System Notification: Killed an Akimichi Chunin. Gained 280 points.]

"Surrender now, or this woman dies," the enemy threatened.

Surrender? That was no different from committing suicide. Falling into the hands of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio would undoubtedly lead to a fate worse than death for Kyosuke.

"Maya!" Uchiha Izumi's voice rang out, filled with despair and seething hatred like a vengeful specter.

Only then did Kyosuke realize that there was a special bond between the two of them.

"I'll surrender," Kyosuke said. As soon as the words left his mouth, 'Maya' shot him a sharp glance.

But as their eyes met, the Yamanaka realized something was amiss.

Within Kyosuke's blood-red Sharingan, an ominous power began to stir.

As someone with exceptionally strong spiritual roots, Kyosuke had naturally mastered the most basic yet powerful illusion of the Sharingan.

Genjutsu: Sharingan!

Kyosuke's consciousness infiltrated Maya's body, his crimson eyes shrouding the enemy's spirit with overwhelming pressure.

With a burst of ocular power, the Yamanaka was forcibly expelled from Maya's body, leading to the current situation.

Drawing his short blade, Kyosuke lunged toward the Yamanaka ninja like a whirlwind.

He knew the Nara member would desperately attempt to save his comrade.

As expected, a black shadow darted toward him from the ground as Kyosuke charged forward.

The loyalty among the Ino–Shika–Cho trio was indeed touching, but Kyosuke was determined to send all three to the Pure Land together.

Forming quick hand seals, Kyosuke's figure blurred into an afterimage, closing the distance in an instant.

His blade flashed, and blood splattered. A severed head flew skyward.

[System Notification: Killed a Nara Chunin. Gained 310 points.]

"Damn it!"

Kyosuke gasped, collapsing onto the ground as his muscles spasmed uncontrollably.

He could only watch helplessly as Izumi ran off to claim his kills.

"Ugh, I'll get you for this," Kyosuke muttered before fainting.

In such a short amount of time, using the high-difficulty Body Flicker Technique twice in a row, he was completely overexerting himself, forcefully fighting by draining his future strength.

Luckily, the 590 points he earned somewhat compensated for his injuries and emotional strain.

"Something's wrong! Lord Kyosuke has collapsed!"

Maya struggled to her feet and stumbled to Kyosuke's side, taking out medical supplies to treat him.

Behind her, Izumi remained silent, his head hung low as though still trapped in the despair of the earlier moment.

Tears dripped onto the ground as Maya choked back sobs.

"He didn't abandon me. Lord Madara was right—Kyosuke-sama is someone worth following."

Though she didn't say it aloud, as a medical ninja, Maya knew the toll the Body Flicker Technique had taken on Kyosuke's young, eight-year-old body.

From that moment, the two subordinates, originally transferred from Uchiha Madara, fully pledged their loyalty to Kyosuke.

After rambling on for quite a while, Maya suddenly realized that her boyfriend had been ignoring her.

Curiously turning her head, she immediately noticed his blood-red eyes.

Within them, three dark tomoe were slowly spinning.

An entire day and night passed before Kyosuke finally woke up from his unconscious state.

---

When Kyosuke finally woke up after an entire day and night, his first thought was:

'An unfamiliar ceiling~'

Without needing to look, he knew his body must be wrapped in bandages.

Overexerting oneself was often seen as reckless, but Kyosuke didn't mind too much.

In the system shop, there were potions that could perfectly heal the body.

For 5,000 points, he could repair all injuries and hidden ailments over time. Higher-grade potions could even restore him in mere moments, but the price… better not think about it.

At the very least, his desperate actions had earned him the loyalty of his two promising subordinates.

Without their full allegiance, Kyosuke always felt a bit uneasy using them in battle.

Turning his head with effort, Kyosuke saw Maya sleeping soundly beside him.

Before, she would never have behaved so casually in his presence. This change warmed his heart.

Success!

'Sigh, pushing so hard every time will only lead to trouble.'

During his recovery, Kyōsuke began to seriously reflect on this issue for the first time.

At this point, his safety was temporarily assured.

Both subordinates had completely pledged their loyalty, especially Uchiha Izumi, who, after the previous incident, successfully awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

In terms of combat strength, Izumi now had the ability to contend with a Jōnin at full power.

For future missions, the safety margin was undoubtedly much higher. However, this also meant that Izumi might be more likely to steal his kills.

'No way, I must restrict his actions. I'll use the excuse that I need real combat experience for training.'

---

A week later, Kyosuke was discharged from the hospital.

Acknowledging the need for efficiency, he decided to focus on enhancing his abilities instead of rushing into more missions.

This time, his goal was not ninjutsu but genjutsu, seeking instruction from Maya to address his lack of mid-range combat options.

After a period of focused study, Kyosuke finally mastered some basic genjutsu.

When the team set out again, they resumed their relentless hunt for Ino–Shika–Cho ninjas.

Over time, Kyosuke regained his reputation as the "Demon-Face Asura."

To diminish the impact of his age, Kyosuke even began wearing a ghostly mask during missions and while in camp.

Of course, there were times of danger. On multiple occasions, the trio faced ambushes from the three clans.

If not for Izumi's exceptional strength and willingness to risk his life for Kyosuke, the Ashura might have already met his end.

---

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Kyosuke finally amassed enough points for the next phase of his journey.

[Chapter End's]

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