Target

The burly man scoffed when he heard that. "You don't know what's good for you, kid. You think I'm like those two pieces of trash?"

As he spoke, his muscles swelled, and he grew to nearly three meters tall in the blink of an eye. He looked like a miniature giant.

"Interesting magic..." A hint of surprise appeared in Chiba's eyes. The man's magic was a little like the Giant Magic used by Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail, but much weaker.

This guy was a close-combat mage!

The giant swung his fist at Chiba, the blow whipping up a gust of wind. A savage grin spread across his face. In his eyes, the boy who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen was as good as dead once the punch landed.

At that thought, he held back a little. If he actually killed someone, they would be in trouble.

"Bam!"

The giant fist struck Chiba's arm with a dull thud, driving his body down into the floor.

But there was no sound of bones breaking as the man had imagined.

"Is... that all the strength you've got?"

Beneath the giant fist, the boy smiled coldly.

Chiba drove his other hand upward, landing a Chakra-clad punch squarely on the "giant's" jaw and sending him flying.

He shook out his fist and activated his Sharingan. A gale swirled around one hand as he slammed his palm into the man's abdomen, sending the "giant" hurtling like a cannonball of flesh into the depths of the shop.

"Get those two girls!" another mage barked.

Two mages rushed out from either side of him, reaching their claws toward Ultear and Wendy.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Chiba created four Shadow Clones, then immediately used Gale Palm to send them flying in front of Ultear and Wendy.

"Damn it! Any harder and I'd be fucking dead!"

The Shadow Clone was very unhappy that Chiba had hit him with Gale Palm.

"Cut the fucking crap and pound those two into the ground!" Chiba shouted.

"You got it!"

The four Shadow Clones exchanged glances, then made Hand Seals in unison.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Each of the four Shadow Clones used Great Fireball. Four enormous fireballs surged forward with overwhelming force, engulfing the two mages as they watched in horror.

"Boom!"

The entire room collapsed under the four Great Fireballs, and roaring flames set the whole building ablaze.

Chiba froze.

"I told you to pound those two! Couldn't you have used Taijutsu?! Why the hell did you use a ball Ninjutsu?!" he roared.

He felt his heart bleeding. How much would he have to pay for a shop like this?

They were mages from a legitimate mage guild, after all. Even though they had attacked first, he had gone and destroyed their shop. No one would believe him if he said he was the one who had been bullied.

Now, all he could think about was how much he would have to pay.

"What kind of ninja doesn't use Ninjutsu to fight? It's not like I know the Eight Gates Released Formation," the Shadow Clone said with a shrug.

"Disperse!"

Chiba dismissed the Shadow Clones, gritted his teeth, and brought his hands together. "Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Jutsu!" he said in a low voice.

The floor shook and shattered as countless trees sprang from the ground, then formed a wooden house.

He had torn down their house, so he would give them a house in return.

Time to get out of there.

"Stop standing around. Let's go!"

He hoisted the little girl onto one shoulder and took Ultear's hand, and the three of them raced toward the end of the main street.

"Phew, we finally got away."

In an alley, Chiba let out a breath.

Ultear was speechless. "It's not like you couldn't beat them. Why did you run?"

Chiba jumped up. "Would I have had to run if my clones hadn't destroyed their shop? That would've cost a lot more than paying for a fight."

Ultear tilted her head and smiled. "Couldn't you just kill them all? Then you wouldn't have to go through all that trouble."

Chiba glared at her. "As a good, law-abiding citizen, how could I just kill people?"

Ultear curled her lip disdainfully. "I wonder who it was that used Ninjutsu to kill mages by the bunch on the battlefield, like he was harvesting wheat."

"..."

Beside them, Wendy said quietly, "Those people just now... were they with those two men from before?"

Chiba rubbed her little head and said gently, "Don't be scared. With me here, they can't do anything to you."

There was a trace of fear on the little girl's face, but more than that, there was trust in Chiba. She nodded firmly and held his hand tightly in her little one.

"Hmph! We finally found you!"

An incongruous voice reached the three of them at that moment.

More than a dozen burly men in mage robes stood at both ends of the alley, each holding a magic staff. They had already surrounded the three.

They were a different group.

"Frog in the Pond noticed you as soon as you entered this town. Or rather... we noticed you..."

The mage in the lead turned his gaze to Ultear beside Chiba and smiled darkly. "A dark mage from Grimoire Heart."

Chiba and Ultear both trembled at his words and exchanged a glance.

How could an obscure mage guild like this know Ultear's identity?

Even without knowing her name, simply knowing she belonged to a dark guild was enough.

Because all they had to do was spread the news, and the so-called righteous mages nearby would come to hunt down this mage from Grimoire Heart.

"Curious how we found out, aren't you?" the leader said with a grin. "You can think about it in hell, you dog of darkness!"

"Go! Kill them!"

His order was not to capture Chiba and the others, but to kill them outright.

At his command, half the mages at either end of the alley charged forward. The rest chanted spells, preparing to use magic.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Chiba created five Shadow Clones, and they made Hand Seals in unison.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Dozens of balls of flame spewed forth, attacking the people charging from both directions.

"Water Flow Wall!"

Several mages slapped one hand against the ground. Blue magic circles formed beneath them, and two walls of water surged up. The Phoenix Flower Fire rushed into them and was completely extinguished.

"Huh?"

Chiba was startled by their display. Wasn't that just a weaker version of his Water Formation Wall?

And at that moment, their first wave of attacks arrived.

"Flying Ice Blades!"

"Water Flow Impact!"

Five or six mages used ice and water magic at the same time. Magic circles formed one after another, sending ice blades and streams of water rushing toward the three in the middle.

"Hmph, petty tricks."

Two of the Shadow Clones snorted, then made Hand Seals.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

They spewed vast quantities of water from their mouths. It joined the water from the shattered Water Flow Walls and rose once more, forming two walls of surging water.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The ice blades and streams of water crashed into the Water Formation Walls and were swallowed whole. But Chiba saw clearly that the leader had a strange smile on his face.

"Explode!"

As his low shout rang out, the Water Formation Walls exploded and dispersed.