NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: Chapter 29
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The system announced:
[Ding! Start a performance art check-in task. Host, please borrow Suki and recreate Sadako's iconic climb from the well.]
Recreate Sadako climbing out of the well?
Ikeno immediately thought of the horror classic The Ring and its terrifying scene.
It seemed like this suki couldn't die just yet.
Looking up, his gaze was cold, fixating on Mizuki. This one needed to die first!
"I'll make you pay!" Ikeno roared, leaping into the air. He aimed a savage kick at Mizuki's groin.
Mizuki met his demise in the most humiliating way—an explosion from the impact. The system chimed in:
[Ding! As Host has repeatedly used special moves, you have awakened a new self-created taijutsu technique: The True Secret of the Foot of Destruction. When used to attack weak points, the power is doubled.]
Ikeno blinked in disbelief, unsure of how to comprehend this newfound power. He could only imagine the devastating effect if this move's power was doubled…
Suki, witnessing the scene, was utterly petrified. "Thank goodness I don't have that problem..."
"The True Secret of Destruction's Foot!" Ikeno roared dramatically, raising his foot as if about to attack Suki. She was trembling in terror.
Ikeno then leapt onto the roof, withdrawing his foot. Relieved, suki attempted to use an illusion technique but was pounced upon by Ikeno, pinning her down.
She panicked, confused about what was happening. "Who's holding me down?"
Ikeno grinned wickedly. "Lady, don't worry, I don't kill women."
"Then... what do you want?" Suki stammered, horrified by the slaughter of her teammates. The sight had shaken her to the core.
"I just need a small favor, and then I'll let you go."
"Favor? What kind of favor?" she asked, trembling.
Ikeno pointed toward a well nearby. "All I need is for you to climb into that well and crawl back out. Don't worry, there's no water inside."
"What kind of perverted request is this?" Suki was baffled.
Ikeno skillfully talked her into compliance, using his Mouth Escape technique, convincing her after ten minutes of persuasion. Finally, Suki nodded reluctantly.
"Remember, let your hair hang over your face and climb slowly..."
Five minutes later, suki slowly crawled out of the well, looking like a scene straight from a horror movie.
Kakashi, watching from a distance, and the Third Hokage, viewing the events through his crystal ball, were both utterly confused...
Once suki had finished the task, the system chimed again:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the performance art check-in. You are rewarded with the Voiceless Bodhi Physique.]
Voiceless Bodhi Physique? What could that be?
In the Naruto world, some physiques are hereditary, some naturally gifted, and others divinely bestowed. He had heard of the Sage Body, Dead Bone Pulse, and Hidan's immortality, but the Voiceless Bodhi Physique was new to him.
The system explained: [Chakra becomes a clear stream, refining the body and soul. With the Voiceless Bodhi Physique, Host is immune to all genjutsu.]
Wait, what?
Immune to all genjutsu?
Ikeno stood there, thunderstruck. In the world of Naruto, genjutsu was one of the trickiest abilities to deal with. His mind raced through the powerful illusions like the Will of Fire, Tsunade's deceptions, Naruto's persuasive talk, and even Kotoamatsukami…
As he snapped back to reality, he was overjoyed. From now on, he could focus solely on battles without worrying about any illusions!
He turned to suki. "Go on, hit me with your best genjutsu!"
Suki, still shaken, thought to herself: This guy must be a masochist. First, he made me crawl out of a well, and now he wants me to hit him with genjutsu?
She decided to give him what he asked for, hoping to escape in the process.
"Thunder Phantom Lightning Pillar!" she cast, creating a blinding light, but to no avail.
For Ikeno, everything remained as it was, the rainy night undisturbed by the illusion.
"Haha! This is amazing!" he laughed as suki tried to flee, but he quickly grabbed her. "You think you can escape? Not so fast!"
He pulled out the Kusanagi sword and revealed the other half of her face, previously hidden by her long hair. To his shock, it was crawling with white bugs!
Pointing the sword at her neck, she sneered. "Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?"
"Haha, and you believed me?" he laughed, "I show no mercy to enemies who try to kill me."
Just as he was about to strike, a voice rang out through the rain. "Ikeno, stop!"
Kakashi appeared, intervening. "Leave her to me. Morino Ibiki is waiting..."
Reluctantly, Ikeno withdrew. He understood that she might be useful for gathering more intelligence, either for him or for Konoha.
As Kakashi and the Anbu left with suki, Ikeno stayed behind to dispose of the bodies using his corpse-melting technique and summoned two skeletons with his resurrection ability. The eerie clacking of bones echoed through the night, causing a passing villager to faint at the sight.
[Skeleton Resurrection +2]
As his skeleton resurrection level increased, so too did the combat effectiveness and duration of the summoned skeletons.
Once the skeletons dissipated, Ikeno made his way to the Hokage's office.
As expected, the Third Hokage was still awake, having witnessed everything through his crystal ball. "These infiltrators are part of the Ghost Group, known from the Third Shinobi War," he explained. "Kito is skilled in Lightning Style, Mizuki in taijutsu, and Suki, though physically weak, is a master of illusions."
Ikeno asked, "What do we do with suki?"
The Third Hokage took a long puff from his pipe, deep in thought but said nothing.
The next day, noon.
At the Konoha BBQ restaurant, Kakashi, Might Guy, Sarutobi Asuma, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza gathered, eating heartily.
Kakashi, with his mask momentarily removed, quickly devoured a piece of grilled pork belly before replacing his mask.
"Kakashi, I heard that Cloud Shinobi's infiltrators were captured?" Choza asked through a mouthful of barbecue.
Kakashi remained silent.
Guy, ever the loud one, laughed. "Secret or not, everyone knows about it!"
Asuma, wiping grease from his beard, chuckled. "I heard the female Jonin was tortured to death by Morino Ibiki."
Shikaku, always the thoughtful one, muttered, "It seems like the peace in Konoha is just an illusion. The other nations are just waiting for an opportunity. It's troublesome."
Guy, dismissing the tension, smiled. "Forget all that! Let's eat and enjoy our youth!"
Meanwhile, in the Konoha prison, Suki had fainted from exhaustion and fear.
Back at his home, Ikeno lay on his bed, enjoying a massage from one of his Shadow Clones, grinning at the thought of his new immunity to genjutsu.
At that moment, the system chimed again:
[Ding! New sign-in task: Please proceed to the Valley of the End to sign in.]
The Valley of the End, a place of legendary battles.
Without hesitation, Ikeno got up and dashed toward the iconic battlefield.
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