Just as Mamoru was thinking, the phantom raised its hand without warning, curving its fingers to point at him as dangerous fluctuations surfaced at its fingertips. The movement was casual, yet it carried a lethal threat.
Mamoru's pupils constricted violently as he instantly snapped back to attention.
That movement...
It was the starting posture for Hollow Technique: Purple.
How could he just sit and wait for death?
Almost the instant the phantom was about to flick his finger, Mamoru's figure vanished from the spot, leaving only an afterimage. In the next moment, his figure appeared on a street below, choosing to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.
Mamoru's feet landed on the ground, and he immediately erupted with full force, moving at high speed through the buildings of Konoha.
He recirculated the Chakra in his body, a faint green light glowing all over him as he spread the healing power of the Mystical Palm Technique throughout his body to heal his internal injuries. At the same time, his brain worked rapidly, thinking of a countermeasure.
'There must be a way.'
He gritted his teeth, his eyes sharp. 'How could I lose to a fake?'
His fists clenched unconsciously.
Just as he leaped into a narrow alleyway, preparing to continue moving—
Boom!!!
An entire row of buildings to his side was suddenly torn apart by an invisible force. Bricks and stones flew, and a violent shockwave instantly swallowed Mamoru.
Dust rolled like a giant wave, obscuring the entire street. He didn't even have time to react before he was completely enveloped by this force.
A ghost-like figure burst through the dust, arriving in an instant.
In the haze, Mamoru suddenly looked up and happened to lock eyes with those blue pupils. When he saw the red energy condensing in front of the phantom, alarm bells rang in his heart, and he subconsciously deactivated Infinity.
However, in the next second, an unexpected change occurred.
A flash of blue passed by, and before Mamoru could even react, he was blasted away by a terrifying force.
His body crashed through the walls of seven or eight buildings in succession, with brick and stone debris flying everywhere. Every impact brought piercing pain.
Just as he was about to crash through a wall inside a house, he activated Infinity in mid-air, neutralizing the remaining force and finally stopping his momentum. The wall was covered in cracks due to the massive impact, but it ultimately didn't break completely.
He dropped from the wall to the floor, supporting himself with one hand and kneeling on one knee. Dust covered his torn clothes, and the mixture of blood and dirt made him look exceptionally wretched.
"Ugh!"
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, staining the ground in front of him. Blood overflowed from the corner of his lips. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, leaving a bloodstain on his face.
He whispered with a bitter smile, "Damn it, too cunning. To hell with the information gap, this is even more intense than I imagined."
His voice was somewhat raspy due to his injuries.
At that moment, the sound of soles treading on wreckage approached.
The phantom, with his hands in his pockets, walked in leisurely from the hole in the wall, his pace unhurried.
"Haven't given up yet?" His tone carried a hint of mockery, as if he was enjoying a good show.
Mamoru stood up unsteadily, his face bloody but his smile unchanged. "Enjoy yourself for a little longer."
His gaze remained firm, without the slightest hint of retreat.
He suddenly raised his hand, and a blue energy ball rapidly condensed in his palm, aimed at the phantom.
Almost simultaneously, the phantom also raised his hand, making a gun-pointing gesture at him. Red condensed at his fingertip, emitting an ominous fluctuation.
Two dangerous energies confronted each other in the small space, the air growing heavy due to their presence.
Mamoru understood the opponent's intention—he wanted to clash Blu and Red to generate an unrestricted Purple right here.
If he took a Purple at such close range, he would be crippled even if he didn't die, and he would absolutely lose the ability to fight. This realization made his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.
In the blink of an eye, he flipped his hand and shot Blue at the wall behind him. This action was almost instinctive.
Boom!
The moment the wall was blown apart, his figure vanished along with the scattered dust. Only a huge hole remained, along with dust flying everywhere in the sky.
"Like a rat, only knowing how to hide." The phantom sneered and dissipated the Red at his fingertip.
His figure also became blurred and vanished from the spot.
In the empty ruins, only his mocking words remained echoing in the air.
...
In another part of the illusion, the oil-painted light screen flickered.
Yakumo and Kurenai stared at the life-and-death struggle between Mamoru and the phantom on the screen in front of them.
"Yakumo, stop it." Kurenai's voice carried a plea, her eyes reflecting the boy's wretched figure as he dodged.
She knew clearly that with Mamoru's current strength, it was impossible for him to defeat that perfect replica.
Yakumo remained silent. She watched Mamoru struggle to evade among the ruins, looking at the increasing wounds on his body. A flash of satisfaction flickered in her eyes for a moment, only to be replaced by a deeper heartache.
"Kurenai-sensei, tell me the truth." Yakumo's voice was resolute and firm, her nails digging deep into her palms, her entire hand trembling slightly from excessive tension. "Otherwise, I will never stop."
Kurenai explained urgently, "Sealing your power was my idea, it has nothing to do with Hokage-sama or Mamoru. Stop hurting Mamoru, he is innocent."
This answer was clearly not what Yakumo wanted. Hatred surged in her eyes, and she secretly issued a new command to the phantom.
In the light screen, the phantom's figure suddenly became clear. In the next moment, he teleported to Mamoru's location, and the battle was on the verge of breaking out.
The situation was completely one-sided. Mamoru could only continue to dodge, fleeing frantically among the ruins, while the phantom followed like a shadow, every attack carrying a lethal force.
"Yakumo, stop now!" Kurenai's voice suddenly rose.
"Mamoru has nothing to do with this. If you want to hate, then hate me alone. I should be the only one you hate."
"I heard it all!" Yakumo's emotions suddenly became agitated. "You and the Hokage planned to wipe out the Kurama clan! And you had Mamoru approach me to trick me into trusting him, all just to seal my power again!"
"Yakumo, you've misunderstood." Kurenai shook her head, her face filled with pain.
"You're lying!" Yakumo's voice trembled with agitation. "How could my parents have died in a mere fire? They must have been murdered!"
"No, your parents were..." Kurenai's voice stopped abruptly.
She was shocked to find that the battle in the light screen had broken through the limits of the illusion. Mamoru's figure suddenly appeared in reality, and that phantom hadn't disappeared either.
"Surprised, aren't you?" Yakumo's voice carried a hint of pride and bitterness.
"That phantom is something I created, the perfect Mamoru, the Mamoru that belongs only to me."
Her fingertips lightly brushed through the void, as if touching the phantom. "He only listens to me and will never betray me."
"How is this possible..." Kurenai whispered in disbelief, her eyes reflecting the existence that had broken through the boundary between illusion and reality.
But soon, another existence surfaced in her mind—Ido.
Passive creation produced Ido, while active creation gave birth to this 'phantom' of Mamoru.
At this moment, the phantom in the light screen stood quietly, his body emitting vague Chakra fluctuations, those blue eyes identical to Mamoru's being so deep they were heart-stopping.
(End of Chapter)
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