Bab 99: Ch.99 Shameless!
The piercing wails continued.
The heart-wrenching screams were so terrifying that, even from a distance, they made the listeners shudder, conjuring up all kinds of horrifying images in their minds.
However, the dense cold mist blanketed the battlefield, obscuring the entire scene. None of those stationed at the outskirts—whether Itachi, Zabuza, or Kakashi and his team—could see what was happening.
In truth, both sides, whether Itachi's or Kakashi's group, had many ways to dispel the mist that covered the long street. A well-placed high-level Wind Release technique would easily clear it.
But for some reason, neither side made a move to do so.
Instead, they remained vigilant, focusing on the battlefield, listening to the wails that echoed from within, along with the occasional sound of ice mirrors shattering.
Unlike the Hidden Leaf team, who were entirely in the dark, Itachi had already formed a few guesses.
However, he was still taken aback when he heard the shout from the masked Akatsuki member controlling the red Susanoo—a clear, feminine voice.
Up until that moment, he had several suspects in mind regarding the identity of the person controlling the Susanoo.
But the realization that it was a woman left him completely dumbfounded!
None of his suspected candidates were women!
Even now, he couldn't think of any female Uchiha with the capability to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, let alone one with such strong dojutsu powers.
Within the cold mist-covered battlefield.
Uchiha Shinji gazed down at the rapidly disintegrating remains of Doma, the Upper Moon demon, who was turning into ash before him.
"Phew..."
He exhaled softly.
In this frigid battlefield, even breathing caused a sharp pain in his lungs, and his throat felt like it was being sliced by knives.
In reality, the strength of the Upper Moon demon Doma had exceeded Shinji's expectations.
If it weren't for him having transplanted White Zetsu cells into Karin, allowing her to restore the power of her half-damaged Mangekyō Sharingan and summon Susanoo, this battle might have required Shinji to intervene personally.
And while Karin, who could regenerate her dojutsu power, had a distinct advantage, Shinji, even though he could control two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan through Susanoo Tomoshibi, didn't have as much dojutsu power as Karin.
If he had directly clashed with Doma's Blood Demon Art, even if he had won, the cost would have been unbearable.
Karin, standing nearby, looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, leader..."
Shinji waved his hand. "Your opponent was very strong. The fact that you created an opening for me to strike is already impressive."
It was thanks to Karin's use of 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' to shatter Doma's Ice Crystal Statue that Doma was left exposed, allowing Shinji to seize the opportunity and finish him off with Amaterasu.
Karin let out a sigh of relief, feeling reassured that she had contributed to the battle.
Crack.
Not far away, another ice mirror shattered.
"There's still one more!"
Shinji's gaze darkened as he walked toward the battlefield between Haku and Akaza.
Before the battle had begun, Shinji had already anticipated the possibility of a trap, which was why Akaza's earlier ambush hadn't fazed him.
He had already ordered Haku to stay vigilant and guard against any potential ambushes.
What he hadn't expected was that even these demons would impersonate the Akatsuki.
How shameless!
Moreover, the fact that both the Hidden Leaf shinobi, including Kakashi, and Itachi and Zabuza, who were actual Akatsuki members, had coincidentally gathered in this small town on the same night was telling.
Shinji could surmise that these Upper Moon demons must have been impersonating the Akatsuki to some extent, drawing both the Hidden Leaf and the real Akatsuki to the town.
The actions of these demons revealed one thing: they had already gathered intelligence about the shinobi world, understood the current geopolitical situation, and were aware of the alliances and enmities between the various factions.
Clearly, after mistakenly believing that the "Lantern Bearer" of the shinobi world was the leader of the Akatsuki, the Lantern Bearer from the Demon Slayer world had investigated the relationship between the Akatsuki and the ruling Five Great Shinobi Nations.
They discovered that the Akatsuki was a secretive organization with no direct ties to the Five Great Nations and even harbored some antagonism towards them. From there, they devised a plan to pit the Akatsuki and the Five Great Nations against each other, hoping to drain and distract the Lantern Bearer of the shinobi world.
Their cunning tactics had indeed caught Shinji off guard. Thankfully, from the beginning, he had concealed his true identity and shifted the blame onto the Akatsuki.
"To think that even a Lampbearer, someone tasked with protecting a world, would stoop to such cheap tricks and impersonations. Shameless!"
Muttering under his breath, Shinji approached Haku's Demonic Ice Mirrors.
"Come out, you cowardly weakling! Do you not even have the courage to face me directly?"
Before Shinji could get any closer, he heard Akaza's enraged voice echoing from within the Demonic Ice Mirrors.
Clearly, Haku had avoided engaging Akaza, a powerful Upper Moon demon, in direct combat, opting instead to trap him within the ice mirrors.
Having witnessed Karin's battle with Doma, Haku had already assessed the strength of the Upper Moon demons.
In his mind, the Upper Moon demons, with their chakra-enhanced bodies, possessed power on par with elite jonin.
Coupled with their near-immortal bodies and the ability to steal chakra by devouring flesh, Haku knew he stood no chance against them in a head-to-head fight.
This self-awareness was why he had adopted a clear strategy: to stall the enemy and give his leader, Shinji, an opportunity to strike.
Fortunately, due to Doma's earlier actions, the entire street was now enveloped in cold mist.
This moisture-filled, low-temperature environment was tailor-made for a shinobi with Ice Release like Haku.
Akaza, on the other hand, was a demon who primarily relied on taijutsu.
In terms of taijutsu, Akaza far surpassed Doma, but when it came to large-scale destructive power, he fell short.
As a result, once Haku's 'Demonic Ice Mirrors' trapped Akaza, the Upper Moon demon struggled to counter the nimble shinobi, who could effortlessly move between the ice mirrors.
Although Akaza's punches could shatter the ice mirrors, he was still a flesh-and-blood creature, and each time he broke a mirror, the recoil would push him back, injuring his fists.
Meanwhile, in the brief moments between his strikes, Haku would immediately channel his chakra to repair the shattered ice mirrors.
This back-and-forth led to the current stalemate.
Akaza continued to smash the ice mirrors while cursing in frustration.
Haku, on the other hand, was frantically repairing them.
In terms of endurance, Akaza would outlast Haku. If this were a one-on-one fight, Akaza would undoubtedly emerge victorious in the end.
But this wasn't a one-on-one battle!
"Damn it!"
After another failed attempt to break free, Akaza's expression grew serious.
Because he could no longer hear Doma's agonized screams from outside.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone