The Forgemage of Konoha

As Tai Yi became entangled with his opponent, he gradually lost track of time—or rather, miscalculated it.

Unbeknownst to him, the ocular power required to maintain the Jibaku Genjutsu (Binding Illusion Technique) had nearly been exhausted. Yet, Tai Yi remained unaware, fully engrossed in the battle.

Meanwhile, one of the enemy shinobi, who had already broken free from the Genjutsu, chose not to reveal it. Instead, he subtly signaled his teammate.

They had changed plans.

Their new target: Shikamaru.

Initially, they hadn't realized Tai Yi was a member of the Uchiha Clan, nor that he had activated his Sharingan. With this new information, their previous strategy was no longer viable. Eliminating Shikamaru first now seemed like the most logical option.

So even though the ninja had escaped the Genjutsu, he continued to feign being trapped—waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Finally, while locked in combat with two Genin, Shikamaru—despite having the upper hand—made a mistake. It wasn't a major blunder, but a slip-up nonetheless. And while Shikamaru was skilled, he was still human.

Ordinarily, such a minor error wouldn't have been an issue. But this time, it was enough.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"!!!" Shikamaru barely registered the attack in time. The searing heat was already upon him.

In that instant, he felt the closeness of death like never before.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion ripped through the battlefield, snapping Tai Yi out of his focused state.

"Shikamaru!!!"

His gaze shot to the source of the explosion. For a moment, time froze. Memories of Shikamaru—from their first meeting to countless shared missions—flashed through his mind.

"I'm going to kill you all!!!"

Tai Yi's scream echoed with devastating emotion, and his Sharingan began to spin violently. A second tomoe emerged in each eye, but the evolution wasn't done. The tomoe continued rotating rapidly.

The third tomoe... was about to manifest.

But just then, a voice cut through the rage.

"Calm down, Tai Yi! Shikamaru is safe! The enemies are still here—focus!" Nakamura's voice snapped him back.

Tai Yi turned sharply—and sure enough, behind a crumbling earth wall, stood Shikamaru. Shaken, but alive.

It turned out Nakamura had been secretly watching over them. Although the Nakamura present was merely a Shadow Clone, he had acted in time. As the Great Fireball came flying, he instantly used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to shield Shikamaru.

Relieved, Tai Yi exhaled—and with it, his incomplete evolution stalled. His eyes froze at the Two-Tomoe Sharingan stage, but the chakra and emotion expended had nearly pushed him to the Three-Tomoe threshold.

Turning coldly toward the two enemies, Tai Yi muttered, "Nakamura-sensei, please don't interfere. I'll deal with them myself."

Nakamura glanced at the intensity in Tai Yi's eyes, now bearing the matured Sharingan. After a short pause, he nodded. "Alright. But I'll be watching. No slip-ups."

"Then let's begin... round two."

---

Meanwhile...

On Shirō's side, the situation had stabilized.

Although the opposing shinobi wanted to stop his chakra recovery, they simply couldn't. Blue Snake, while holding back to defend Shirō, was still overwhelmingly stronger than his opponents.

The so-called Dragon Fang Soldiers—mere illusions projected via Shirō's magic—had served their purpose. Initially, they terrified the enemies. But as the fight dragged on, their intangible nature became obvious, and the surviving mountain thieves regained their courage.

Unfortunately for them, by the time they regrouped and charged, most of their comrades had already been taken out—either by Blue Snake or by the confusion itself.

Now, with his chakra fully recovered, Shirō released his hand seals, stepped atop Blue Snake's head, and declared coldly:

"Ready to die?"

"Heh. Arrogant brat. You're the one who's going to die!"

The enemy charged at Shirō.

Shirō smirked. "Then let's find out."

He turned to Blue Snake. "You've done enough. Handle the two Genin and then rest. I'll take this guy."

"Yes, Shirō-sama."

With a grin, Shirō leapt forward. "Reinforcement—begin."

A metallic ping rang out as chakra surged through his limbs.

Though his opponent was older, Shirō—who had brushed the edge of the Mind's Eye of Truth—was far superior in technique. This was no surprise: every time Shirō projected a Noble Phantasm, fragments of the weapon's history, experience, and techniques would integrate with his own.

He wasn't just fighting as Shirō—he was fighting with centuries of warrior memory.

And here his opponent was—a basic melee fighter—trying to go toe-to-toe with someone functionally closer to a veteran Counter Guardian.

Naive.

As Shirō executed flowing strikes with precision, his opponent grew sloppy, overwhelmed by Shirō's eerie skill. Desperation replaced strategy.

After all, the ones sent to this battlefield weren't elites. If they were, they wouldn't have been sent here to die.

Shirō dispatched him with little effort—though this was largely thanks to his restored chakra. Without Reinforcement Magic, his physical disadvantage due to age would've been more apparent.

With the enemy down, Shirō turned quickly.

The system had just delivered an ominous prompt:

> Ding! Detecting scattered ocular power... currently absorbing... absorption complete!

Only Tai Yi could be the source.

And Shirō knew well: the Sharingan, feared as the "Evil Eye," awakened and evolved through emotional trauma. If the system had absorbed spilled ocular power, then either Tai Yi had faced death... or Shikamaru had.

Neither was acceptable.

Without hesitation, Shirō prepared to rush toward their location.

He didn't trust fate—and he certainly wouldn't leave it to chance, even if he suspected Nakamura was still shadowing them.

But just then—

"Wait, Shirō. Tai Yi and Shikamaru are safe. My Shadow Clone already reported in. Focus on your task—we're not done here."

Nakamura's voice came clear, composed.

Hearing this, Shirō stopped.

There was no reason for Nakamura to lie about this, so Shirō nodded and turned his attention to the remaining mountain bandits.

"Projection—begin."

A cold gleam lit his hand.

> "Báthory Erzsébet."

(Noble Phantasm: The Bloodthirsty Demoness)

---

🩸 Noble Phantasm Info:

Name: Báthory Erzsébet

Rank: E-

User: Elizabeth Báthory (Prototype of Carmilla, the Blood Countess of Hungary)

Form: Demonic Spear (manifested from Csejte Castle)

Legend: Said to retain magical power and eternal youth by bathing in the blood of young girls. Her castle, Csejte, became a torture chamber for hundreds.

Effect: Upon deployment, the spear transforms into a sonic weapon—essentially a megaphone amplifying her inhuman, destructive singing voice. The battlefield becomes a concert of death, with ultrasonic shockwaves ravaging enemies.

Though its destructive power seems vast, it is still an Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm.

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