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Chapter 15: Death I

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“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

~ Mark Twain

Perfection is an eternal pursuit. Therefore, Isaac can never truly live fully. There is simply no end to his pursuit. Thus, Isaac fears death.

However, there are people who do not fear death. In fact, there are many of them. They were raised to not fear death, to sacrifice themselves for the village because that's what's honorable.

Today, Isaac would meet a lot of such people, starting with a man named Minato, a man Isaac knows to be destined to become a Hokage.

"Hello," Isaac politely nodded at Namikaze Minato, the future Hokage and father of Naruto.

"Hello," Minato returned a charismatic smile as he said, "Are we ready?!"

"Ready!" Responded Obito loudly.

"Ready," Kakashi muttered in a low voice.

"Ready!" Rin cheerfully replied.

"Ready." Isaac also nodded.

Minato flickered away, followed by Kakashi and Obito then Rin. What they used was The Body Flicker Technique, a high-speed movement technique.

By using the Body Flicker Technique, a ninja can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed. To an observer, it appears as if the user has teleported.

It's a technique that Isaac basically forced Rin to master. It's a common technique that isn't too difficult to learn, but very challenging to master.

"How am I doing?" Rin asked with anticipation as at point, she found Isaac by her side.

"Very good, just not good enough to be able to save your life from most situations," Isaac noted, "How is your progress with the Earth technique I taught you?"

"Umm, I-It's okay?" It took Rin a while to respond as if afraid of disappointing him, "I can barely use it."

"It's alright. You don't have to act like that," Isaac couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, "I know Earth isn't one of your Chakra natures. However, try to learn it as soon as possible."

"I will," Said Rin with determination.

'He's a good kid,' Noted Minato with a smile, soon watching as Obito challenged Isaac and Kakashi in a race, even Rin joined them.

They raced through the woods, flickering only when they could as using the body flicker technique in such an environment can be quite dangerous unless your control over the technique is meticulous.

However, the messing around soon ended as they again joined Minato, moving through the woods at an adequate pace this time.

They had left the proximity of Konoha, so they couldn't play around anymore, not when the enemy could be waiting for them, hiding in the darkness of the woods.

There was darkness in the woods awaiting them near the Daimyo, as far away from Konoha as possible.

They had set out in the morning, anticipating their arrival somewhere around the evening, and so did the enemy.

"Stop!" Minato and Isaac stopped nearly at the same time, Minato reacting even faster as a Kunai was already in his hand, his eyes narrowed as he looked about.

The air turned solemn as the rest of the team stood by Minato's side, their face heavy, waiting for the latter's instructions.

Isaac, however, was the first to take action as his eyes blinked red, strangely only showing a two-tomoe Sharingan, and it lasted only for a second before he lifted his hand and murmured, "Water Bullet."

The technique named Water Bullet seemed to only require one hand seal. No, it's more appropriate to say that Isaac's control over his chakra and mastery over the technique allowed him to only need to perform the technique using one hand seal and only with his left hand.

What manifested on his fingers was a convergence of water that soon formed highly pressurized water bullets, a bullet on each finger, "They are here for me, so let me deal with them."

Isaac didn't wait for Minato's response as he acted, seemingly splitting into several clones then walked towards the invisible enemies.

Isaac expected such a situation. The other villages must have spies in Konoha, so they would've naturally heard of him.

He's not only a Uchiha genius, he's also an inventor, a money-making machine for an enemy country, something the other countries can not tolerate, so they naturally sent their lapdogs for the job.

Even Minato wasn't surprised as he merely watched Isaac perform his incoming symphony, just as the Hokage instructed him, evaluating Isaac's depth.

Minato already got valuable information, Isaac having already opened two tomoe Sharingan, truly a talent.

"Let him be... I'm here." Said Minato Before Obito, Kakashi, and Rin could jump to help, the hesitation on their face and worry told him how much they cared about their friend which he appreciated quite a bit.

However, a case of a ninja dying under his watch is nigh impossible. That's Minato's confidence in his skills and that technique.

"Isaac! Be safe!" Still, Rin couldn't help but share her worries before focusing on her surroundings, making sure she didn't fall into a trap. The last thing she wants is to become the weakness of the group.

Isaac neither responded nor did he turn his head, still walking toward the still invisible enemy.

The enemy also made no moves despite having already been discovered. The woods were still. Everything was still, not a single sign of even a breeze around, only the occasional chirping of crickets could be heard.

Isaac and his clones took another step, stepping on a puddle of water. Two things, it hasn't rained in a while, and only one of the dozen of Isaac caused a splash in the puddle.

Isaac wasn't using shadow clone jutsu. He seems to be using the most basic clone techniques which create something akin to an afterimage without any substance.

However, Minato sensed something strange. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but what happened next told him everything he needed to know.

From the puddle leaped two figures clad in black, kunai in their hands. The bushes transformed into other figures clad in black, also leaping towards the real Isaac.

Minato grasped the kunai in his hand tighter, ready to act at a moment's notice. That opportunity never came as he relaxed, watching as the enemies' attacks went through Isaac as if a mirage.

They not only kept their eye on the real Isaac before and after he created the clones but the splash of water upon stepping on it made it certain that he was the real one.

Why? Why did their attacks go through his body as if he was a mirage? When did the nearest Isaac clone have his finger pointed at one of them?

Before they could question reality further, a sound reverberated throughout the surroundings. It was akin to the sound of something moving faster than sound.

The water bullet was released, a highly pressurized bullet which gave it so much power that it went through the target's brain like a knife cutting through butter.

Then the water bullet exploded, showing its weakness but also its strength. It's so highly pressurized that maintaining it after release is extremely difficult.

Therefore, once the bullet left Isaac's range of control, it simply exploded, taking the enemy's brain with it.

The enemy, however, wasn't alone. There were several figures, and they were experienced as they quickly reacted, their hands working quickly to perform the hand seals for their more efficient jutsu for the situation.

They certainly couldn't perform more complex jutsu in the heat of the moment, especially with the danger of the water bullets. They have to wait for the opportunity.

That's also why they used only ninja tools at first such as kunai. They're mostly silent and swift... Still failed, thus they had to utilize shinobi techniques.

That's why Isaac found himself faced with wind blades from most directions, yet he didn't evade them. He just stood there, seemingly awaiting death.

That, however, gave the enemy a sense of crisis. Their instinct was right as one of them suddenly something by his head. Only one glance left him terrified.

The Isaac that they had just attacked before was standing right by him with a water bullet by his head.

The man was utterly confused for they had already confirmed that that Isaac wasn't real as their attacks had gone through him.

Why? Why did the screen of life turn black for him? The man couldn't be confused anymore, but his companions could as their attacks went through Isaac.

The explosion sound of the water bullet as it was released into their companion's brain solved their confusion... They were targeting the wrong Isaac again? How??

"He's a Uchiha!! We're in an Illusion!!!" The remaining enemies leaped back, the urgency in their voice apparent as performed a specific hand seal, disrupting their own chakra.

A genjutsu is created when a ninja controls the chakra flow of a target's cerebral nervous system, thereby affecting their five senses.

This is frequently used to create false images and/or trick the body into believing it has experienced physical sensations such as pain.

However, if a capable ninja realizes they're under an illusion, they can disrupt their own chakra network to get themselves out, although the process requires adequate chakra control.

"Huh??" The enemies were utterly confused by what saw after breaking out of the illusion.

They were indeed under an illusion... Why are there still clones before them?

No, why are there even more clones before them, ones they couldn't see before, some standing behind them, just eyeing them coldly with their blood-red eyes?