Rising high in the beautiful night sky, the moon illuminated the battlefield.
The threads wrapped around the trees glowed brightly, causing an expression of displeasure to form on Yamato's face.
"You won't," said Miroku.
Yamato narrowed his eyes as he stared at Miroku.
"Children are far too curious. You leave them alone for a second, and before you know it, they're snooping around someone else's house," said Miroku. However, her smile disappeared when the trees around them began to move as if they were alive.
The branches intertwined, blocking every possible escape route.
"Ara~ I wasn't expecting this. What an interesting jutsu."
Miroku looked at Yamato's hands, which were forming a hand seal.
"I don't have time to chat. Let's finish this already!"
Wood began to cover Yamato's body. A second later, the sound of a thread being cut echoed through the area.
Miroku looked at him with a confused expression, but a smile immediately formed on her lips.
"I'll have to make the threads more durable, or I won't be able to withstand that much pressure," she said with a seductive smile. "Tsukigumo: Fukadan no Kiruito."
Instantly, a strange liquid came out of Miroku's fingers. The liquid dried and turned into a thin thread that was barely visible under the moonlight.
"Are you ready, sweetheart?"
Miroku's smile grew wider.
Yamato realized what Miroku was planning when his vision began to darken.
"Genjutsu..." Yamato sighed. He already had experience dealing with the kind of shinobi who specialized in Genjutsu.
"Right now, you're probably thinking you can break out of my Genjutsu easily, aren't you?"
Yamato wasn't thinking about dispelling the Genjutsu. He wanted to use it to his advantage.
'This should work,' thought Yamato as he closed his eyes. He brought his hands together to perform another jutsu.
"Hm? Another jutsu?" Miroku wondered.
"Mokuton: Fukushuu Senbon."
A wooden pillar rose from the ground and began firing hundreds of splinters.
Miroku's eyes widened, impressed by how quickly Yamato could attack.
"Not enough."
Miroku raised her hand and, using the trees around her, wove a strange shield out of threads. However, it wasn't enough to protect her completely, as one of the splinters managed to leave a small cut on her arm.
'Blood?' thought Miroku as she looked at her arm.
She immediately wiped the blood away with one of her fingers. Afterward, she put the finger in her mouth, tasting her own blood before smiling once again.
"You managed to hurt me. Congratulations."
Miroku clapped her hands, making Yamato feel uncomfortable.
"Since you've had your chance to attack, it's my turn," said Miroku, raising her hand.
At that moment, Yamato instinctively raised a wooden wall, but Miroku's attack was so powerful that the impact shattered the wood and sent Yamato crashing into the trees.
"Hm... I thought you'd last longer, sweetheart. What a tragedy."
After striking Yamato with the threads like a whip, Miroku looked at the man lying on the ground.
"Did I kill him?" Miroku wondered, but the moment she approached Yamato, a small cloud of smoke appeared, leaving behind a small wooden log a second later.
'Substitution Jutsu?!'
Miroku turned around, but it was already too late. Yamato had managed to trap her inside a strange wooden box.
'Got her,' thought Yamato.
However, an explosion rang out, and the box shattered into countless pieces. Dust rose into the air like a small cloud.
'No way!'
When the cloud of dust disappeared, Yamato saw Miroku. There was a small change that made his eyes widen in surprise.
Eight metallic spider legs protruded from Miroku's back, digging into the ground like claws.
"I thought I'd been defeated," said Miroku, with that strangely seductive smile on her face.
Yamato narrowed his eyes for a moment. Even though he didn't know his opponent's abilities, he was determined to end the fight as quickly as possible because his students were fighting as well.
'She's capable of controlling puppets...'
"Seriously, I hate cramped places," said Miroku.
"I don't understand why you're doing all this, but that doesn't matter anymore. I have to help my students!"
"Your students? I think they're already very dead."
"Don't be so sure about that," Yamato replied sternly.
"Really? Then survive and go find their bodies," said Miroku. Her spider legs moved and dug firmly into the ground.
Yamato stepped back. He couldn't fight her at close range because of the strange weapons attached to Miroku's back, but he was certain that the woman's speed had decreased. Unfortunately, he was wrong.
Miroku appeared in front of him in an instant, one of the sharp spider legs pointing directly at Yamato's throat.
"You won't!" said Yamato, bringing his hands together.
A fraction of a second later, two branches emerged from the ground, blocking the attack and attempting to strike Miroku, but they only managed to tear her clothing slightly.
"Not yet—!" said Yamato, but he suddenly stopped with his eyes wide open.
"What is it?" asked Miroku, confused.
"Your clothes..."
The part of Miroku's clothing that had been torn was around her chest. Now the spider woman was showing Yamato everything.
Miroku looked down, but not because she was embarrassed. In fact, she smiled mischievously when she saw Yamato looking away.
"How kind of you," she said, fixing her clothes with her threads. Then, she instantly launched another attack.
'Why did this have to happen now?! My students are in danger!' thought Yamato, swallowing his embarrassment and returning to his fighting stance, but at that moment, Miroku took advantage of his distraction and struck him, sending him crashing through the trees with the force of the blow.
A second later, Yamato got back up from the ground. A small drop of blood ran from his nose. He quickly wiped it away and returned to the battlefield without saying a word.
'Did she... do that on purpose?'
"That was fast. Want me to show you a little more?" she asked, wearing a sadistically alluring smile on her flushed face.
Yamato sighed and, bringing his hands together, said:
"Shinchuurou no Jutsu."
Multiple roots emerged from the ground, forming a large wooden box that trapped Miroku inside.
"Do you really think this will accomplish anything?" said Miroku as she placed her hands against the pillars, but Yamato shook his head and snapped his fingers.
At that moment, a branch emerged from between the pillars, striking Miroku in the head and knocking her unconscious.
'It's over...'
Yamato sighed tiredly as he summoned a Wood Clone.
The clone moved and caught Miroku in its arms, covering her with roots so she couldn't move.
"We have to hurry."
The clone nodded in response, and together they ran toward the village.
—Near the Village Inn—
A few minutes had passed, and Yamato was jumping from tree to tree, searching for his students. The first place he headed toward was the inn.
'I hope nothing bad happened.'
Beside him was the Wood Clone, carrying Miroku under one arm as if she weighed nothing.
It didn't take long for them to arrive, but what he saw left him stunned.
In front of him stood Hinata, facing the defeated man with the blindfolded eyes. The girl's hands were stained with blood, her body bruised, and an exhausted expression covered her face.
"Hinata..."
"Yamato...-sensei..." said Hinata.
She looked at her sensei before falling unconscious, but Yamato stepped forward and caught her in his arms.
Yamato looked at the half-dead man on the ground and then back at poor Hinata.
"You did well, Hinata. You're strong..."
Perhaps Hinata heard those words, because a small tear rolled down her injured face.
At the same time, the clone used its roots to wrap Kouta up like a maki roll before carrying him under its other arm.
"Let's keep going..."
They moved forward once again, unaware of what they would find next...
—In Front of Miroku's House, Minutes Earlier—
Toru stared at the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.
'Blood... This is... my blood... It's been a long time since I've seen it.'
The time when he used to create those strange devices that always ended up hurting him. That was why he almost always had bandages wrapped around his arms and legs, along with the occasional burn on his face.
'The guy with the spear...'
That person was approaching Ino as if this were nothing more than a game.
"Help me! Somebody help me!"
From the ground, his vision blurry, Toru looked at her. Then he turned his attention to that bastard.
"He tried to kill me..." Toru whispered.
A flash of memory—the death of his family. Blood staining the past, a heavy feeling he could never rid himself of.
"That's what he tried to do..."
Weakly, he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a scroll.
"Release," he whispered once again.
Smoke. Silence. A pair of black daggers, like the thorns of a rose, lay embedded in the ground, waiting for their master. Toru took the daggers in his hands, gripped the handles tightly, and rose from the ground.
"He tried to kill me," he growled as his eyes took on a strange, mystical glow.
All he could see was the blood spilled that day. Now that blood was driving him to walk toward that damn murderer.
While Ino watched Yasu raise his spear, ready to kill her, Toru saw the memory of someone he had considered a great friend, almost like a brother.
Then, Toru stepped between them. The sparks created by the clash of two metals illuminated the area for a few seconds.
When Ino raised her gaze, Toru was standing in front of her, stopping the spear with his daggers.
'Toru...'