Chapter 194 : A Clan Of Ghosts, A Clan Of Cruelty
Shizune was momentarily stunned before letting out a sigh.
"Riku’s Thunder Body Flicker is getting smoother and smoother. At this point, he’s using it almost as skillfully as the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Tsunade didn’t look up from the documents in front of her. She kept her eyes fixed on the page and replied calmly,
"His Thunder Body Flicker is already faster than the Raikage’s, nearly comparable to space-time ninjutsu. But he’s the only one who can master such a technique. It’s just too difficult."
This technique truly moved at the speed of lightning.
And more than that—it became lightning.
Incredibly powerful.
But this was no ordinary Body Flicker Technique. It was a high-level variant, incomparable to the basic form most shinobi learned.
The Thunder Body Flicker could be considered at least A-rank in difficulty. It required enormous chakra reserves, extremely precise chakra control, and incredibly fast reflexes.
All three of those requirements were well beyond the reach of most shinobi.
Which was why, for now, only Riku had mastered it.
Tsunade had spent quite a bit of time searching before finally locating two Jōnin without active missions.
More accurately—one special Jōnin and one full Jōnin.
After thinking it over, Tsunade smiled and said, "You two will do."
Meanwhile, at Konoha’s gate, Riku was leaning against the wall in wait. After a long while, he finally spotted two figures approaching from the distance.
Riku looked up, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"So it’s those two. That makes sense—she’s the top genjutsu user in Konoha."
The two partners Tsunade had chosen for Riku were Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi.
Kurenai Yuhi was a renowned genjutsu master in the village. While it was impossible to directly compare her to Uchiha Itachi, their proficiency in illusionary techniques was actually quite similar—technique-wise. But Itachi had the Sharingan, an overwhelming advantage that Kurenai lacked.
Still, if one looked purely at genjutsu mastery without considering dojutsu, Kurenai stood at the same level.
Just as Might Guy had risen to the rank of Jōnin through his exceptional taijutsu, Kurenai had earned her title through unmatched genjutsu skills.
As for Anko... Riku figured Tsunade had probably picked her just because she wasn’t assigned to anything else at the moment.
Anko’s primary duty was Konoha’s internal defense. She didn’t often go out on missions.
Kurenai and Anko finally reached him.
Anko immediately walked up and slapped Riku on the shoulder.
"Long time no see! Damn, you’ve gotten tall."
Although Riku was frequently in Konoha, he usually stayed within the Senju compound, the Hokage’s office, his own home, or occasionally at Mount Dōgo. He didn’t show up in public much.
So Anko rarely had the chance to run into him.
Still, their relationship was quite good.
Riku smiled.
"It hasn’t been that long, Sister Anko. Barely over a month, right?"
Anko rolled her eyes.
"Maybe I saw you, but we didn’t get a chance to talk. You’re always holed up in the Hokage’s office, leaving early and returning late. Who can ever get a hold of you?"
She smirked.
"But now you’re a Jōnin, one rank higher than me."
Anko genuinely felt happy about Riku’s promotion.
Kurenai stood to the side, smiling. Since she and Anko were close friends, she’d often hear Anko asking about Riku.
As a fellow Jōnin, Kurenai herself had more opportunities to interact with him.
After catching up briefly, Riku got down to business.
"This mission is S-rank. It’s extremely dangerous. The reason we requested you, Kurenai-sensei, is because we’re facing a clan that’s highly susceptible to genjutsu. Illusion techniques are especially effective against them."
Anko blinked.
"Then why am I here? I’m not exactly a genjutsu expert."
Every ninja learned some genjutsu basics, but that was very different from being a genjutsu master.
Riku chuckled.
"You’re here to protect Kurenai-sensei."
Anko blinked, momentarily stunned.
"What? I thought I was going to be the main fighter."
Riku smirked.
"You’re welcome to take the lead... if you’re in a hurry to die."
Anko realized he was teasing her and shot him a glare. He laughed in return.
"Alright, enough joking," he said. "I’ll brief you both on the situation as we travel. This mission is very dangerous. Prepare yourselves—serious injuries are likely. The Oni Clan we’re up against is shrouded in mystery. Even I don’t know much about them. But judging by the fact that they’ve wiped out several ninja villages... they’re definitely murderous, brutal enemies."
Both Kurenai and Anko became more serious.
Tsunade hadn’t given them the full details about their targets. But the fact that Riku—whose strength the two already considered to be Kage-level—was leading the mission, along with two other Jōnin, made the danger abundantly clear.
After Riku’s words, neither Kurenai nor Anko dared to treat this lightly.
Still, seeing Riku there gave Anko some peace of mind. With him leading the team, she truly believed they’d be alright.
Maybe just a few injuries—nothing they couldn’t handle.
While conversing, the trio made their way toward a village near the Oni Clan’s last known location.
They moved swiftly, and within a day, they arrived at the site.
But as they stood on the mountainside overlooking the village, they were all struck with a surge of anger.
The village had been burned to the ground.
There were no signs of a battle—but the remains clearly showed that the villagers and shinobi had struggled desperately before death.
They hadn’t even been given a chance to fight back.
They died resisting... but to no avail.
Riku’s expression hardened as he looked at the scorched ruins.
"Looks like investigating the truth here won’t be easy."
Bodies littered the village—both civilians and shinobi. Many of the Chūnin had died with their eyes rolled back in agony.
Clearly, they’d suffered massive psychological trauma before death.
Kurenai examined the corpses carefully before approaching Riku.
"They were all subjected to intense mental pressure. The methods were cruel—none of them were killed in combat. Almost every single one committed suicide. The ninja here... they slaughtered the villagers before ending their own lives."
Anko stood in the ashes, fists clenched.
"Monsters... this is unforgivable."
"And why are there so few signs of actual fighting?"
Riku and Kurenai both turned to look at her.
Anko grew self-conscious under their stares but still asked, "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Riku didn’t reply. He silently walked toward another pile of rubble.
Kurenai gave a small sigh and explained patiently.
"The Oni Clan has a unique ability—the Spiritualization Technique. It allows them to leave their bodies in spirit form and travel immense distances, even attacking from afar in that state."
"Back during the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha had a shinobi named Kato Dan who could use this technique. He killed several Jōnin with it."
"But there’s a catch," she continued. "While in spirit form, their bodies are left vulnerable. If their physical body is destroyed, their soul dissipates shortly after."
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