Naruto: My Hiddden Village-Chapter 31: Iburi’s Nightfall

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That night, after ensuring everyone in his group was fast asleep, Tsubasa slipped out of his room.

His movements were light and silent, like a gentle night breeze.

"Hopefully, I won't wake them," Tsubasa murmured inwardly, glancing at the tightly closed door of his companions' rooms. "But this curiosity is too strong, so I have to investigate the innkeeper's story about the haunted hill."

Tsubasa had two main goals tonight.

First, to verify if the ghost story the innkeeper told was true.

Second, to find out if the strange phenomenon was related to the legendary mysterious disappearance of a ninja clan in this area.

His ninja instincts told him that there was more than just folklore behind all of this.

With quick and agile steps, Tsubasa arrived at the foot of the hill in question.

The night air felt cold and bone-chilling, but Tsubasa's spirit only burned brighter.

He immediately took up the best position, standing upright on the grassy ground, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Alright, time to conduct a thorough search," Tsubasa whispered, then he began to unleash his perception ninjutsu across the entire hill area.

Chakra in Tsubasa's body began to spin rapidly, radiating powerful energy around him.

His vision drastically improved, piercing through the darkness of night and the layers of hill soil.

Tsubasa focused all his concentration on thoroughly scanning the hill area, looking for any clues or anomalies, no matter how small.

Moments later, the scan results began to appear clearly in Tsubasa's mind.

His perception picked up the presence of a great number of chakra signatures in human form.

The number was not small, even arguably quite large for a small ninja group.

However, there was something odd about these chakras.

"Their aura... is dim and weak?" Tsubasa frowned, feeling that something was wrong.

"Compared to normal human chakras, the life energy radiated feels much weaker. This is very strange."

The strangeness did not stop there.

The location of these chakras turned out to be concentrated in the depths of an underground cave located in the heart of the hill.

This information further strengthened Tsubasa's suspicion that this was no ordinary ghost phenomenon.

Ghosts do not have chakra, or at least their chakra would not be detectable with the perception ninjutsu that I currently possess.

"This is definitely not ghosts," Tsubasa concluded confidently. "These weak chakras... most likely they are a group of ninjas."

After realizing that he was not dealing with supernatural beings, Tsubasa felt a slight disappointment.

Initially, he had hoped to encounter the lingering spirits of the lost ninja clan.

If they were truly ghosts, Tsubasa had plans to study them in order to accelerate his research on the Edo Tensei no Jutsu—the forbidden jutsu he was currently developing.

As for his purpose in studying this ninjutsu, it was to summon the spirits of his parents back to the world.

He wanted to talk to them about whether they still wished to return to life.

If they still wanted to live, then Tsubasa would definitely find a way to bring them back to life, because this was something very possible in this world.

"Too bad, not ghosts," Tsubasa murmured, sighing deeply. "If only I could get a sample of lingering spirits, Edo Tensei research might progress rapidly."

Although the hope of meeting ghosts vanished, Tsubasa's interest in this mysterious ninja group did not immediately fade.

On the contrary, his curiosity grew even more intense.

He suspected this ninja group possessed a rare and unique Kekkei Genkai.

"Rare Kekkei Genkai... hmm, interesting," Tsubasa smirked slightly. "If they align with my vision and are willing to join my ninja village, that would be a very valuable asset. The potential of a group of ninjas with a Kekkei Genkai compared to a group of ordinary ninjas is like heaven and earth!"

With renewed enthusiasm, Tsubasa began to approach the ninja group's hiding place very carefully.

He decided to hide and observe their condition first in 'VENOM' mode.

'VENOM' mode was ideal for reconnaissance and infiltration missions.

"VENOM," Tsubasa whispered softly, activating his ninjutsu.

A layer of black chakra began to creep across his body, providing protection and making him difficult to detect, especially in the darkness of night.

Tsubasa wanted to ensure the situation was safe before interacting with the ninja group.

He was also curious as to why they were disguising themselves as ghosts and scaring the locals.

Their motives needed to be investigated further.

With the help of 'VENOM', Tsubasa moved nimbly underground, penetrating the roots of trees spreading across the hill.

Not long after, he arrived near the place where the ninja group was gathered.

From the darkness of the cave, Tsubasa peeked and observed the situation inside.

"Only five people?" Tsubasa was surprised to see that the number of ninjas present did not match the number of chakra signatures he had sensed earlier. "But... why are there so many humanoid white smoke figures there?"

In addition to the five human figures, Tsubasa saw several other figures in the form of white smoke moving erratically.

The white smoke looked faint and almost transparent, but their presence was quite striking in the darkness of the cave.

Slowly, Tsubasa's memory began to work.

He tried to recall the ninja clans he had seen in history books and also his original work.

"White smoke... smoke Kekkei Genkai... wait a minute..." Tsubasa closed his eyes for a moment, racking his brain. "Iburi Clan! Yes, no mistake! They are the Iburi Clan!"

Tsubasa finally realized the identity of this mysterious ninja group. They were the Iburi Clan, a ninja clan famous for its unique Kekkei Genkai that allowed them to turn into smoke.

This Kekkei Genkai was very rare and had great potential, but unfortunately, it also had a fatal weakness.

While continuing to observe, Tsubasa inadvertently overheard their conversation.

Apparently, they were discussing a thorny problem related to their flawed Kekkei Genkai.

"Hajime, have you still not found any clues on how to overcome our flawed Kekkei Genkai?" asked the figure who seemed the oldest and most authoritative among them. His voice was heavy and full of worry.

"Not yet, clan head," replied the figure called Hajime in a despairing tone.

"If this continues, our clan will perish on its own. Without resistance, without war with other clans... truly shameful." Replied another figure with spiky hair like a Saiyan.

"Forgive me, clan head," chimed in Hajime, the figure who looked the youngest among the five, his voice full of regret. "I have tried various ways, but all have failed."

"You should have never taught us this flawed Kekkei Genkai!" snapped the figure who looked like Suneo from the Doraemon cartoon, blaming others for the problem they faced.

"That's right, that's right..." echoed the figure who was the fattest among the five, agreeing with Suneo's words.

However, before he could finish his sentence, the fat figure suddenly turned into white smoke.

The smoke billowed for a moment, then seemed to stand still in its place, leaving a chilling silence.

Now, only four human figures remained in physical form in the room.

Their flawed Kekkei Genkai was again showing its terrifying side.

Turning into smoke suddenly and uncontrollably, without being able to choose when they could return to their original form.

Tsubasa continued to observe their movements from a hidden corner of the cave.

He waited for the right moment to emerge and interact with the Iburi Clan members.

Moments passed in silence.

Finally, Tsubasa made sure this situation was not dangerous for him.

He was confident that with his fighting abilities far above theirs, he could guarantee his safety even if he had to face them all alone.

"Time to act," Tsubasa murmured, deciding to come out of hiding.

With a light movement, Tsubasa stepped out of the darkness of the cave.

He appeared in front of the Iburi Clan members with a friendly smile, as if they were old friends who had not met in a long time.

"Yohohoho, good evening everyone... am I interrupting your meeting?" Tsubasa greeted in a relaxed and slightly joking tone, breaking the tense atmosphere that enveloped the cave.

"WHO??!!" exclaimed the remaining four Iburi Clan members in surprised and wary tones.

They simultaneously turned towards Tsubasa, their eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"If I say I'm just a traveler who happened to pass by, would you believe it?" Tsubasa asked with a disingenuous smile, trying to defuse the tense atmosphere.

"Don't joke with us!!!" snapped one of the four, he was the figure who looked like Suneo, he shouted while rushing to attack Tsubasa.

Seeing their companion's movement, the other three figures also joined in attacking, moving with rough and hasty movements.

"I figured, we have to fight first before we can talk," Tsubasa murmured while easily dodging their attacks.

He took a deep breath, preparing to show his true strength.

Tsubasa calmly avoided the hasty attacks from the Iburi Clan members.

Their movements were too predictable and had no significant power for him.

As a genius ninja who had mastered various high-level ninjutsu and taijutsu, Tsubasa felt their attacks were merely a joke.

With a swift movement, Tsubasa performed his signature hand seals. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Tsubasa shouted loudly.

Dozens of shadow clones reappeared at his side, ready to assist his main body.

The Iburi Clan members were shocked to see so many of Tsubasa's shadow clones.

They began to realize that the opponent they were facing was no ordinary person.

The expressions on their faces, which were previously angry and fierce, now turned pale and fearful.

A brief battle ensued.

A group of Tsubasa's shadow clones moved quickly and efficiently, subduing the Iburi Clan members one by one.

They moved like trained war machines, merciless yet controlled.

Tsubasa deliberately did not want to hurt them too badly, because he still had plans for them.

Tsubasa used his latest sealing ninjutsu to end the fight quickly and elegantly.

This ninjutsu worked on principles similar to Hisoka's ability from the Hunter x Hunter anime or Mineta's from the Boku no Hero Academia anime.

The ability to stick targets to surfaces or other objects with incredible stickiness.

Tsubasa launched his sealing ninjutsu towards the four remaining Iburi Clan members.

Instantly, they were all thrown and stuck tightly to the walls and floor of the cave.

They could not move at all, trapped in Tsubasa's strong, sticky seal.

Their strength, which they had previously boasted, now meant nothing in the face of Tsubasa.

After ensuring the four Iburi Clan members were helpless, Tsubasa walked casually towards a chair they had used earlier.

He sat down gracefully, as if the fight that had just taken place had never happened.

"Well, now... can we talk?" Tsubasa asked with a calm smile, looking at the four Iburi Clan members trapped on the walls and floor with a scrutinizing gaze.

The fight was over, the conversation was about to begin.

The Iburi Clan members fully realized that they were now in a very unfavorable position.

They were like fish on a chopping board, with no hope of escaping or fighting back.

Finally, with a heavy heart, they accepted Tsubasa's offer to talk.

They knew that their only hope now was to cooperate with this incredibly strong stranger.

Tsubasa began the conversation by asking about their condition.

He wanted to understand more deeply the problem of the flawed Kekkei Genkai they suffered from, as well as their reasons for scaring the locals by pretending to be ghosts.

The Iburi Clan members, who looked desperate, answered Tsubasa's questions honestly and openly.

They hid nothing, because perhaps in their deepest hearts, they had a glimmer of hope that someone as strong as Tsubasa might be their savior.

The figure who seemed the oldest and most authoritative among the four, who seemed to be the Iburi Clan leader, began to tell Tsubasa the sad story of their clan.

In their story, two years ago, Iburi Hajime—the youngest member of the four sealed people—discovered a ninjutsu that he claimed could awaken the smoke Kekkei Genkai in all members of their clan.

Hearing this good news, all Iburi Clan members were very happy and slightly reckless.

They forced Hajime to hand over the ninjutsu he had just discovered.

The ambition to increase clan strength outweighed other considerations.

They did not realize that the ninjutsu would actually bring disaster to them.