"She's been gone too long…" Kirito frowned after waiting at the same spot for over ten minutes without seeing Asuna return. Then, as if something clicked, his eyes narrowed. "Looks like something's happened."
Asuna's mind was groggy and hazy. In the distance, she vaguely heard a voice, but her body moved on its own, trailing a shadowy figure deeper and deeper into the unknown.
She had no awareness, no perception. She didn't know how long she walked for. By the time she regained full consciousness, she was already standing in the middle of a dense forest.
"Where… am I?!" Surrounded by unfamiliar trees and silence, Asuna didn't panic. Her gaze sharpened as she pieced together her memory. She had just exited the restroom when a masked figure in black appeared in front of her. That person had made a quick hand seal, then everything went blank. Now, she was here.
Back in the village, Kirito had already noticed the irregularity. He swiftly made his way to the restroom Asuna had gone to, empty.
He instantly deduced the worst had happened.
Staying calm under pressure, Kirito methodically analyzed what he knew so far.
For someone to make a move in the very heart of Konoha, this could only be an inside job. And within Kirito's understanding, there was only one person capable of orchestrating something this audacious,
Shimura Danzō, head of Root.
Knowing Danzō's cunning nature, Kirito was certain the old man wouldn't do something as blatant as having the princess killed outright. That wasn't his style. No, he would ensure it was done cleanly, with no trace pointing back to him. Most likely, he had arranged for someone else to do the dirty work.
As for why? The answer was simple.
If the princess of the Land of Fire were to die in Konoha, the one to bear the greatest responsibility would be the Hokage. With immense pressure from the daimyo's court, the Third Hokage would have no choice but to step down… and Danzō would finally have his chance.
Kirito couldn't be sure of his theory, but the truth wasn't his priority.
Finding Asuna was.
And time was of the essence. If she was still alive, that meant they weren't trying to eliminate her immediately. But the longer this dragged on, the more dangerous it would become.
"Then I've got no choice…" Kirito's eyes glinted with resolve. Without another word, he activated a hidden power.
In an instant, several dark silhouettes emerged all around him.
Men and women, each with distinct attire and aura, but all clad in varying shades of black. These were not ordinary clones.
They were the manifestation of Kirito's ultimate assassination technique:
Phantom Illusions.
Unlike regular Shadow Clones, Phantom Illusions were born from Kirito's psyche, each an independent being with its own thoughts, traits, and abilities. They did not share a singular will with the original. And unlike clones, which held only a fragment of the user's strength, each Phantom Illusion wielded nearly the same level of power as the original.
But this power came at a cost. If a Phantom Illusion was injured or killed, Kirito would suffer actual backlash.
"Begin."
"No one escapes my pursuit…" A sultry voice answered.
It came from a tall, violet-haired woman with wild energy and bronze skin. Dressed in only a wrap-top and short shorts, she exuded primal charm and a feral sharpness.
She crouched, pressed a single claw-like nail to the dirt, and closed her eyes.
Just a few breaths later, her eyes snapped open.
"Did you find her?" Kirito asked, watching her closely.
"I did," she replied coolly. "But first… it seems we need to take care of a few pests nearby."
As she stood and slowly drew a blade from her hip, the other Phantom Illusions also readied their weapons, each different, each deadly.
"I see." A chill flashed through Kirito's black pupils. "Then… scatter."
At his command, the figures, including Kirito himself, vanished without a trace. Their presences, their auras, even the sound of their breathing, all completely erased.
Not long after, two ANBU operatives arrived on the scene.
"…" The masked men looked around, sensing something unusual.
One made a quick hand seal. "Anything? Danzō-sama said whoever's here right now must be a hostile operative. If they're nearby, capture them and extract intel via genjutsu."
"Nothing. There's a lingering trace of chakra, but whoever was here is definitely gone. With the Yamanaka clan's detection technique, no one escapes my net."
"For caution's sake, I'll use my kikaichū insects to confirm," the other said.
A moment later, after recalling his scouting insects, he shook his head. "They're gone. No doubt about it."
But just as both of them began to drop their guard for even a second…
Everything changed.
<><>---------------------------------------
45 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
p(a)treon.com/Aaltairr
200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters