Although the hippopotamus was chubby, it was incredibly strong. This male hippo had once been considered a model worker in the circus.
It usually had to follow the circus, pulling carts and carrying loads. When it stopped, it had to perform difficult tricks, even including walking upright.
All of that had greatly trained the male hippo's physical qualities, especially its strength, which far surpassed that of an ordinary hippo.
On top of that, it had been well fed and cared for by the Shimura Clan during this period, and its physical strength had grown even more.
The power of a backward kick from such a massive creature was easy to imagine. It had to start at ten tons.
And with its entire hind leg encased in steel armor, its destructive power became even more vicious.
Bang!
With a dull bang, although the bounty ninja had reinforced his body with chakra in time, he was still kicked apart, his entire chest and abdomen shattered.
The upper half of his body flew miserably through the air, his face twisted in extreme agony and unwillingness.
Before dying, he finally realized why his earlier slash had failed. Two Sealing Crystals were embedded in the armor on the hippo's legs. The moment his chakra approached them, the radiation caused it to go berserk and lose control.
With only the sharpness of his ninja blade and his own strength, naturally he could not cut through that thick layer of armor.
Still, his death had value. It served as a warning to those who came after him.
"Be careful. That hippo seems to have Sealing Crystals on it too. Jump directly onto its back. Those two girls had been staying on that big fellow's back the whole time.
"And watch out for that brat's Chakra Threads."
An