Ambush

Hotel, second floor, hallway.

The Land of Fire Merchant walked toward his room with an annoyed expression. His servants and samurai cleared the way ahead and clustered behind him, protecting him and Nara Yan Shui in the center.

In a shithole like the Land of Rivers, there were definitely people willing to sneak over and kill a rich man.

"Boss, we've completed a B-Rank Mission too." With the bidding over, Yuan Wei seemed much more relaxed. He followed alongside them with a smile on his face.

Xia could not help smiling as well. A B-Rank Mission—barely half a year after graduating, she had already participated in and completed one.

Next, as long as she steadily took missions, she would have a chance to become a Chunin next year, then transfer to the hospital and become a Ninja Doctor. The first step of her life plan would be complete.

Now, it was time to take that first step for real.

"Don't let your guard down." Lin Ke's words immediately doused the two of them with cold water. His expression was grave, and he did not look like he was joking.

Even Yan Shui Teacher had said the battle was over. How could—

As Yuan Wei was thinking, his body suddenly lost balance and was yanked backward. He watched helplessly as fire burst from the hallway ahead, a violent explosion demolishing the walls on both sides.

"Boom!"

The deafening blast made his ears ring. Smoke filled his vision, while scattered, severed, mangled chunks of corpses rolled to a stop beside him.

"Exploding Tags..."

Lin Ke released the hands of his two companions, rapidly formed hand seals, and unleashed—

Clone Technique + Transformation Jutsu.

After a brief bout of palpitations, Yuan Wei scrambled up from the floor, drew his Kunai, and entered a combat stance with a trace of nervousness on his face.

Xia stood back-to-back with Lin Ke, looking at the Amegakure ninjas approaching through the narrow hallway behind them. "Boss, we're surrounded. They're from Amegakure."

"The Konoha brats really are lucky."

The scar-faced ninja who had challenged Lin Ke with his eyes on that rainy night emerged from the smoke. In a disdainful tone, he said, "But your luck ends here."

Yan Shui Teacher should be fine. I saw him use the Body Flicker to leave with the Land of Fire Merchant. The fact that he hasn't returned probably means he's been held up... Facing a strong enemy while protecting an ordinary person with limited mobility would definitely be troublesome...

Lin Ke thought rapidly, tightening his grip on the Kunai slightly. "Finish this quickly, then go support Yan Shui Teacher."

Not only did they need to survive—they also needed to complete the mission as best they could.

"Tch, brat, don't get ahead of your—" Before the scar-faced man could finish, he heard something slice through the air beneath his crotch. His expression changed instantly. He gathered chakra and twisted away by the narrowest of margins, only then seeing a pitch-black thing rising from the floor. That thing had just reached for his... unmentionable parts.

How underhanded!

"Whoosh!" Several Shuriken flew through the air.

"Fwoosh!" On the other side, Xia, having undergone special training, successfully spat out a massive fireball. It forced back the ninjas charging from behind, after which she and Yuan Wei rushed into the still-scorching air and tangled with the Amegakure ninjas closing in from the rear.

"Whoosh!"

Lin Ke followed close behind the Shuriken, Kunai in hand as he charged forward.

The scar-faced man raised an arm, using his bracer to knock the Shuriken away with a series of clanks. With his other hand, he pulled out a Kunai and prepared for close combat.

"Clang!" The moment their Kunai collided, he knew he had this in the bag. The Konoha brat talked big, but he was only slightly stronger than an average Genin. He was absolutely no match for him.

Lin Ke swung his free arm along with his body, and it transformed into a long blade in midair, piercing straight through the scar-faced man's neck.

"Splash!" The scar-faced man whose neck had been pierced turned into a puddle of water.

Water Clone.

Lin Ke had barely registered the thought when an immense force struck from behind, sending him flying. He crashed into the rubble with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The scar-faced man who had kicked him away stood where he was, wearing a smug smile. His eyes fixed on the shadow on the floor as he said something strange. "Surrender, brat."

Trying to recruit me...?

Lin Ke had assumed the enemy would launch one attack after another. He had already prepared to use the Clone Technique as a feint before counterkilling him, and even his shadow was in position on the ground. Instead, he got such strange words.

Would the Akatsuki Organization recruit their opponents? Doubt flashed through his mind, but his body was already moving.

Seeing him turn and prepare to fight, the scar-faced man revealed a contemptuous expression.

The technique—or Kekkei Genkai—that turned his arm into a long blade was impressive, but their brief exchange had already proven that this guy was merely an ordinary, somewhat stronger Genin. As long as he watched out for that strange technique, he could easily stall him. There were so many of them; victory was guaranteed.

Whether it was the shadow or those sudden transformations, they could only be used for sneak attacks. Once a sneak attack failed, they would no longer threaten a ninja with even a little combat experience.

Yet the next moment, his eyes were opened—

The shadow stood up from the ground. Lin Ke casually tore off both his legs and tossed them to it. Then, the legs in the shadow's hands turned into two gleaming long blades, blocking the center of the hallway.

Meanwhile, the real body sat on the rubble and began forming hand seals as though no one else was around.

What a sight...

The scar-faced man wore an expression that was difficult to describe. No matter how many corpses and seas of blood someone had seen, this bizarre scene was still hard to take in.

Though he found it hard to take in, he did not waste any more words. He knew a little of the intel—if he let this guy fully deploy his "technique," things would become troublesome. He decisively chose to attack first.

The first Stand—

Before the enemy had even charged halfway over, Lin Ke completed the summon for his Substitution Technique.

"Lulululu~"

Countless densely packed, silver-white little creatures poured from his body, wriggling as they made strange noises no one could understand. They resembled beans and had no distinct facial features, only holes representing eyes, a mouth, and nostrils. As they made those strange sounds, countless tiny teeth could even be seen inside their mouths.

Stand—Metal Stand.

Lucky!

Lin Ke had thought he would have to tangle with the fodder for a while, then summon a useful Stand to clear them out before joining the battle at the front. He had not expected to hit the jackpot on the first try.

"Clang!" The shadow was swinging its two long blades so wildly that they formed an impenetrable defense—more accurately, it was just wildly flailing them around—blocking some of the Shuriken and Kunai thrown over to interfere. The next second, just as it was about to engage the scar-faced man at close quarters, not only did the blades vanish with a bang, but the shadow melted back into the ground.

"Ready to surrender without a fight?"

Amid the scar-faced man's teasing voice, Lin Ke rose to his feet and walked forward.

"You—gck gck gck—"

At such close range, the Stand that could manipulate all iron—Metal Stand—effortlessly controlled the iron in the scar-faced man's body, turning it into countless blades that tore through the flesh of his throat, chest, and abdomen from within. They clattered onto the floor.

He dropped to his knees. Chunks of flesh and internal organs dripped down in a steady stream as his consciousness faded.

How could this be...