Kaien was the first to react. "Move!"
The rogue shinobi, his eyes blazing with fractured chakra lines, launched a burst of corrupted Arch Energy at them. Shisui countered with Polar Pulse Field, redirecting the energy into the ceiling as debris crashed down.
Ren hurled kunai laced with paralysis tags, but the man's body twisted unnaturally—as if his bones were liquid metal.
"Shisui, that's no ordinary rogue," Kaien said. "He's fully converted. A Hollow Bloom Subject Phase IV."
"Then we end this fast."
Shisui activated Magnetic Sandstorm Armor, the storm forming around his body in a shimmering vortex. He rushed forward, dodging the enemy's blast, and used Ferro-Spiritual Disruption to paralyze his nerves for a moment—just long enough.
"Rail Fang Cannon!"
The iron sand condensed, sparked, and fired.
But the subject tanked it—his body reinforcing at the last second with pink crystalline iron.
Shisui's eyes widened. "He can mutate his ferrokinetics…"
The man lunged, claws outstretched, and cut into Shisui's shoulder.
Blood sprayed. The corrupted chakra began to enter his system.
But then—Naoko's seal, still inside Shisui's pocket, flared.
BOOM!
A wave of cleansing Arch Energy burst outward, neutralizing the invading chakra and launching the rogue backward.
Kaien and Ren finished the job—Ren pinned him with binding wires while Kaien sliced through his core with a chakra blade.
The subject screamed... then disintegrated into iron dust and petals of grey light.
The room fell silent.
Kaien turned to Shisui, who clutched his arm, panting.
"You okay?"
"Yeah… but we need to report this immediately. If he was a Phase IV, there might be others."
As they made their way out of the lab, Shisui looked back one last time.
Beneath the corrupted bloom, something shimmered—a small sealed vial glowing faintly, labeled:
"Phase V Catalyst—Subject: Shisui Morinaka."
His breath caught.
They planned this... for me.