Chapter 222: Chapter 219: Thin Bloodline of Kohinata Family
The scene shifts to Kohinata vs the Torture Trio.
The Torture Trio, known for their deceitful and ruthless tactics, were confident in their ability to overpower Kohinata.
The Torture Trio launched kunai in three directions at the same time, toying with their prey and enjoying the sight of long bloody battles. Kohinata dodged and moved through the kunai and shuriken attacks, but as the battle progressed, it became clear that he would not be able to avoid every attack, and the damage would accumulate over time.
Kohinata was gasping from exhaustion, and his movements were already slower than usual due to the accumulated fatigue and injuries. Regardless of his injuries, Kohinata remained focused and determined to defeat his opponents.
"I need to use it or use the seal," Kohinata thought. The situation was desperate, the pressure from the three relentless. "But if even one of them escapes... then the info on my ability will leak out and find its way into the bingo book. It would be a huge headache afterwards."
Kohinata knew the risk, but it was the only way to end this quickly and ensure Ryu's escape. He thought, "I need to draw them closer to me."
Gathering his remaining strength, Kohinata taunted them. "Are you done playing?" he asked, his voice strained but defiant, "or are you still scared to come near me, cowards?"
One of the enemies replied, "You talk too much." Another ninja from the pack snarled, "Let's end this."
The trio leapt from three sides simultaneously, their swords engulfed in crackling lightning chakra, aiming for a swift, brutal finish, the air crackling with energy as they closed in on Kohinata.
Kohinata performed some hand seals, engulfing his kunai in wind chakra, a sharp, visible blade of wind extending from the metal. As the trio neared him, Kohinata did something strange – he closed his eyes.
The trio were taken aback by this sudden, strange act. "What is he doing?" they thought. "Has he admitted his defeat? Does he want to end the torture by ending it with closed eyes?" The enemy grinned, a cruel light in his eyes. He misread the act entirely. "He wants it painless," the enemy leader said. "I will end it now and make it painless."
All three enemies were about to cut him down from three sides, their lightning-infused blades closing in for the kill. At the last second, Mukai acted, his eyes still closed. Using his kunai with the wind blade running on it, he expertly redirected one of the swords, using its momentum to block another incoming blade. Then, with a fluid motion, he slid the kunai further, forcing the two swords he'd just blocked a bit over his shoulder to simultaneously block the third sword coming from directly behind him, without looking back.
The enemies were stunned by Kohinata's extraordinary counter, seemingly impossible to achieve unless one could see everything in all directions. Only the ones in the front could see his face as Mukai Kohinata opened his eyes, revealing not the usual brown iris but a pale, intricate Byakugan glowing in one eye.
The enemies were beyond surprised now, their faces twisting in disbelief and fear. They all thought, "The Byakugan... impossible!"
Kohinata didn't waste the opportunity. Taking advantage of his close proximity with all three enemies, their swords momentarily locked or deflected, he used his free hand to strike quickly, hitting all of them precisely at their major chakra points. In his long career as a ninja, he had studied anatomy and chakra flow extensively, having many opportunities to learn about the chakra points, be it by studying medical texts or even, grimly, experimenting on enemies or himself to understand vulnerabilities.
The hits by Kohinata were targeted to incapacitate the enemies immediately, aiming to shut down their chakra networks and paralyse the enemy.
"You will not be able to move for hours," Kohinata stated, his voice firm. This kind of precise, debilitating strike was the reason the Hyuga clan was feared. They might not have flashy ninjutsu like the Senju or Uchiha, but they could still defeat even powerful opponents if they fought in close range using their gentle fist-like techniques powered by the Byakugan.
Although Kohinata was a descendant of the Hyuga clan, his lineage was distant, with the Hyuga bloodline having become diluted over generations. Outside marriages were a practice that both the main and branch houses of the Hyuga clan strictly avoided, except for strategic diplomatic purposes. Even then, these marriages were typically confined to branch families of lower standing rather than involving the main house.
This was the situation with the ancestors of Mukai Kohinata a few centuries ago. The result of this for the Kohinata family was a thin bloodline. The thin bloodline usually recovers in the next generation if it is not thinned further, so even they were marked by the [Bird Cage Seal] to prevent them from escaping the fate of branch families. However, Kohinata's family did not awaken for many generations, becoming so distanced from the Hyuga clan over centuries and many wars that it led to the main clan forgetting about them entirely, which inadvertently allowed him to evade the mandatory [Bird Cage Seal] of the Hyuga Main Family.
The [Bird Cage Seal] was no secret from even the civilians of Leaf Village. Even kids were marked by this cursed seal at a very young age. When Mukai Kohinata awakened Byakugan in one eye, he hid the fact and only practised in secret.
Since the Hyuga were so conservative with their traditions and therefore fought the way they used to 100 years ago, they became stagnant in terms of ninjutsu progress. But Kohinata was not bound by their traditions. Even without being formally taught in the ways of the Hyuga clan and their famous fighting style, Kohinata had trained himself, developing his own unique style, coupling his inherent visual prowess and knowledge of chakra points with his wind-style jutsus and other techniques that the Hyuga clan rarely use.
He had eventually become so strong that except for the main house, there was not a Hyuga that could beat him even if he did not use his Byakugan. He also became an elite Jonin at a comparatively early age. The current leader of the clan was also an elite jonin in terms of rank. Kohinata was just a step behind the more experienced elite ninjas.
Back in the present moment, the enemy trio were on the ground, unable to move properly and unable to mold their chakra, and Kohinata was assessing his wounds.
Despite his injuries, Kohinata remained vigilant and looked in the direction where his team ran towards earlier and saw Ms. Secretary engaging in combat with all the enemy ninjas.
Kohinata thought, "Apart from Kaminari, these three were the strongest; each of them was a coward but experienced Jonin. Even Kaminari himself would have been an elite Jonin if not for his criminal status. There are still too many strong ninjas left in that group. That fake secretary will not be able to handle them even if she is an ANBU."
"How is this possible? You are not from the Hyuga clan. How did you acquire Byakugan?" the eldest of the trio asked.
Kohinata replied, "You don't need to know. I hope you are prepared for what comes next."
Kohinata used the kunai and, with swift, clean movements, slashed the necks of the three incapacitated enemies.
The trio gasped and choked on their blood, a fitting conclusion for those who had dubbed themselves the torture trio, meeting a grim end befitting their cruel moniker.
Kohinata, not interested in enjoying watching their misery any further, tried to walk away when one of the trio spoke.
"Hey, where are you going?" one of the trio asked, trying to stop the blood from his neck.
The other said, "Who is the coward now?"
The last one said, "At least see it to the end."
"What makes you think I am not watching?" Kohinata replied as he walked away. "Let me tell you this if you don't know: those with Byakugan can see from the back of the head."
Just as the life left the body of one of the trio, the enemy exploded. The explosion caught Kohinata off guard, causing him to stumble backward and sustain minor injuries. Thanks to his distance from them, he managed to escape to safety.
Kohnata put himself on his feet and thought, "Those bastards, the rogue ninjas, were trying to lure me into a trap. They were ready to take me with them."
Just then it hit him; Kohnata remembered why Cloud Village had the least number of rogue ninjas. It uses the captured rogue ninjas as an expandable army to keep other rogues in check.
"I need to get back to Ryu and fast," Kohinata thought. Exhausted, injured, and bleeding, Kohinata used first aid to tend to his wounds. Kohinata then ran towards other enemies who had previously escaped to chase after Ryu.
##PoWeR StOnEs##
If possible, please support me on Patreon and leave a review here. A review would mean a lot to me and help me expand the story.
25+ more chapters, including 5 free chapters for everyone, are available to read on patreon. com/PageTurnerPJ.
Your support is what gets this story going, so please donate PoWeR StOnEs to the story and add it to your library.
Please keep supporting the story.