The sharp sound waves were nearly enough to shatter eardrums. The six ninjas responsible for guarding the outpost clutched their ears in agony, desperately trying to block the enemy's assault.
"Enemy attack!"
"Quick, stop her!"
Compared to the Genin, the presiding Chunin on watch maintained a level of composure. Despite the searing pain in his ears, he forced himself to reach into his ninja tool pouch, pulling out several kunai and hurling them toward the enemy with all his might.
Shana's wings beat rapidly, yet the kunai successfully struck her body. A flicker of panic appeared on her face right on cue, and the ear-splitting screech came to a sudden halt.
Yes, it worked!
The ninjas below looked elated. They had initially thought they were facing a formidable foe, only to find she was dispatched so easily.
However, just as Shana should have plummeted, a mocking smile played across her lips. "Sorry, I lied."
Suddenly, her body seemed to fracture. From the point where the kunai hit, she dispersed into countless birds that dove rapidly toward the ninjas below.
Seeing this, the two Chunin's expressions darkened.
"Damn it, when did..."
This situation was clearly the result of falling into a Genjutsu.
"Curse it, was it that birdsong just now?"
The two Chunin were battle-hardened; they quickly wove hand signs to disrupt the chakra flow within their own bodies, dispelling the foreign chakra the enemy had slipped in. This allowed them to break the illusion.
Nevertheless, such a feat was clearly beyond the four ordinary Genin from a small hidden village. By the time the two Chunin broke the Genjutsu and retreated to escape the battlefield, the four Genin had already been snatched up by crimson tentacles that appeared out of nowhere, leaving them immobilized.
"Who are you people?"
The Hidden Steam Ninja stared deathly at the three enemies before him, his voice harsh.
Actually, calling them "people" didn't feel quite right. No matter how one looked at them, the three individuals standing there could hardly be described as human in the conventional sense.
Shana's current form featured a pair of massive, pale green wings on her back, while her feet had transformed into sharp, bird-like talons. Rie Uzumaki had eight sinister, blood-red tentacles growing from her back, which were currently holding the four Genin high in the air. Jugo's entire body was covered in strange incantations, his brown eyes filled with primal rage.
"Hehe, we are followers of Lord Jashin."
Rie Uzumaki flashed a cute smile, and then...
Thump!
The two Chunin watched in horror as their four Genin comrades were crushed to death by the immense strength of the tentacles. Crimson blood blossomed like fireworks, and a rain of gore painted their faces with the color of terror.
"You're so crude, Rie."
Shana tilted her head, smiling at the remaining two enemies. "Tell me, are you ready to be sacrificed to Lord Jashin?!"
In the next instant, she dove toward them with incredible speed.
"Damn it."
The two ninjas looked grim. While life and death were common on the battlefield, seeing these three enjoy the act of killing so much made their skin crawl.
"Let's move together. Don't waste time."
A blood-red light flashed in Jugo's eyes. Clearly, the scent of blood lingering in the air was having a profound effect on him. The black markings quickly turned red, covering his body like flames as he pounced toward the enemies like a frenzied beast.
Seeing Jugo's movement, one of the Hidden Steam Ninja hurriedly wove signs.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A thick wall rose from the ground, attempting to halt Jugo's advance. Unfortunately, a berserk Jugo—fueled by absorbed Natural Energy—was not something a simple wall could stop.
He shattered the wall with a single punch, his body barging through the rubble as he grabbed the enemy by the head.
Boom!
Immense power surged out, slamming the Hidden Steam Chunin into the ground and creating a massive crater. The impact caused the ninja to bleed from every orifice, killing him instantly.
The neighboring Chunin was stunned into silence.
How is he this fierce? I have to run!
He unleashed the fastest hand-sign speed of his life.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick mist obscured everyone's vision. The sole remaining Chunin took the opportunity to use an Earth Style jutsu to dive underground. By the time he re-emerged, he was already in a forest over a thousand meters away.
"Those guys... what on earth were they?"
A bird-woman, a tentacle monster, and a beast covered in strange markings... not a single one of them was a normal human!
Suddenly, a nursery rhyme echoed through the thick mist.
Hide and seek~ Hide and seek~ Whatever you do, don't let me find you~ Or I'll gently slice your belly open...
The voice singing the rhyme was crisp, sounding like an innocent, wide-eyed little girl. But hearing those eerie lyrics, the nameless Hidden Steam Ninja could only hide behind a tree, trembling.
As the singing gradually faded into the distance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head, only to see a cute face offering him a sincere smile.
"Found you, big brother."
Before he could react, Shana's senbon had already pierced all of his joints, completely robbing him of any ability to resist.
"Who are you people?"
"Wait, you aren't even human!"
Terror was written all over the ninja's face. Shana merely smiled faintly and covered his eyes with her palm.
"Go to sleep. You won't be scared once you're dreaming."
After dealing with the last enemy, Rie Uzumaki dusted off her hands. "Easy work."
This immediately drew Shana's mockery. "You only handled four of the weakest trash. Does someone like you really think they can stay by the Master's side?"
Rie Uzumaki's hair practically stood on end. "You smelly bird! Do you want me to pluck your feathers out?"
Seeing this, Jugo let out a deep sigh as the markings on his body quickly faded.
These markings were actually a sign of him absorbing Natural Energy. That monster-like form could, in a sense, be called a "Sage Mode." Simply put, Jugo was naturally gifted; his body could inherently adapt to and actively absorb Natural Energy without suffering damage, but his mind could not control the violent energy, leading to his berserk state.
Simu's solution for him was simple: Praise the Jashin.
By using faith in the Jashin, a spiritual imprint left by Simu could continuously influence him, suppressing the rage brought on by the Natural Energy. However, because Simu's current research into souls and Yin Style was still limited, he could only suppress it to a certain extent. If the battle became too intense and Jugo absorbed too much energy, he would still go berserk.
This was also why Simu paired him with Shana and Rie. The former could use Genjutsu to stabilize Jugo's emotions, while the latter could use Sealing Jutsu to suppress his outbursts.
Shana's abilities came from the new race Simu created: the Harpy. Her body had been modified for flight and bird-like speed. Combined with sound-based Genjutsu, Chunin-level opponents were no match for her. Rie, on the other hand, had learned Sealing Jutsus Simu requested from Nagato and had a Kakuhou transplanted, allowing her to release seals via her Rinkaku. Simu had also discovered that the Uzumaki Clan possessed terrifying natural talent in Sealing Jutsus, Sensory Ninjutsu, and Medical Ninjutsu.
"Regardless, let's finish the mission first."
Faced with the bickering of his two teammates, Jugo had no other choice. Fortunately, under the pressure of the mission, they didn't start an actual fight.