Karin

Wilderness.

Corpses lay scattered across the middle of the road, and large pools of blood spread across the wilderness.

The strong smell of blood attracted a flock of ferocious beasts and birds of prey, who gazed longingly at the sumptuous feast.

Only--

A group of humans hindered their courage to feed; these humans, known as ninjas, were the true hunters, not the ferocious birds and beasts.

Stop him.

"A monster, this guy is a real monster."

"Be careful, don't let them get close."

Shinichiro Kusama shouted loudly, directing the four remaining members of his clan to resist the 'monster's' attack.

Of the ten Grass Ninja, half were dead, leaving Shinichiro Kusama and one other Jonin. The other three were all Special Jonin.

When he pursued the murderer so openly back then, he was ridiculed by many. But now, Shinichiro Kusama only regrets why he provoked such a monster.

They didn't have detailed intelligence, and after wandering around several incident locations, they just happened to run into the serial killer on the road.

Then they rushed up.

In the next exchange, two Genin were torn to shreds, although they managed to regain their footing Jonin to the Shinichiro Kusama and another jonin from the same clan.

But after truly experiencing the ruthlessness of this killer, he no longer dared to fight back; his mind was filled with thoughts of how to escape with the remaining members of his clan and that precious blood pack.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear"

Seeing that the group had distanced themselves from that bastard killer, Shinichiro Kusama quickly unleashed Ninjutsu; judging by the speed of his Hand Seals, he wasn't slow at all.

One after another, rock spears protruded, thrusting towards the killer's legs. However, the sharp rock spears struck the killer's legs, which were covered with a grayish-brown keratin layer, and snapped with a crack.

"This... where did this monster come from?!" Another Jonin, Taizo Kusama, exclaimed, his eyes filled with fear.

"Die! Die! I'll tear you to pieces... Hahaha!!!"

The monster, over two meters tall, howled madly, its bizarre face bearing a bloodthirsty laugh. Its clothes were tattered, and its hands and feet were covered in a strange layer of keratin, as hard as refined steel.

A casual strike could shatter rocks; flying Shuriken and Kunai were chipped and chipped; even Explosive Tag only left smoke marks on the monster's body.

The Grass Ninja, who grew up in peacetime, had never seen such a frenzied battle. Even the two Jonin Shinichiro Kusama and Taizo Kusama, Jonin a chill run down their spines.

"Lord Shinichiro, my Chakra is almost depleted. I really can't hold on any longer."

A Special Jonin shouted loudly.

"Useless thing."

Shinichiro Kusama cursed inwardly, but still said, "You step back for now and go find some blood packs to restore your Chakra as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the Special Jonin's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly retreated, as the pressure of fighting such a monster was simply too great.

The red-haired, bespectacled girl hid far away in the bushes, not participating in the battle. When she saw the Grass Ninja charging towards her, she numbly rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arm covered in teeth marks.

"Shinichiro, this really can't go on. This monster is too strong; the two of us can't handle it."

Taizo Kusama retreated to Shinichiro's side.

"I know..." Shinichiro Kusama's face was grim. "Let's retreat slowly, this monster is extremely powerful."

The two used their Ninjutsu to force the monster back as far as they could, while simultaneously signaling their subordinates to leave.

Just then...

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance, rushing towards them.

Kimimaro was the first to arrive, wanting to assess the strength of the enemy.

"Hiss!"

Suddenly, the white snake in the sleeve stretched out its head, stuck out its tongue, and let out a hiss.

"Looks like I was right." Kimimaro raised an eyebrow. "But what exactly is this thing?"

Kimimaro was bewildered as he watched the monster chasing after the group of Grass Ninja. Despite his youth, he was quite experienced in the Anbu, but he had never seen anything as ferocious and bizarre as this before.

"He's clearly a serial killer... so why does he seem so natural?" The air was thick with the smell of blood, but Kimimaro couldn't sense any chaotic energy emanating from this monster.

He had seen people who had turned themselves into inhuman monsters by using Forbidden Jutsu, and each of them was filled with a chaotic and filthy aura.

He didn't get too close; he simply stood to the side, observing the monster's movements.

The Grass Ninja also noticed Kimimaro's appearance, and their faces lit up with joy. Judging from Kimimaro's attire, he was clearly a Jonin from Konoha.

"Lord of Konoha, please help us deal with this murderous monster."

Shinichiro Kusama shouted for help.

Kimimaro shrugged indifferently and pulled a pale bone sword from his arm.

They charged towards the monster.

The bone knife collided with the monster's fist, sending sparks flying.

"What a hard fist!"

Kimimaro's eyes lit up with a hint of delight; it had been a long time since he had encountered such an interesting opponent.

The monster's attention was completely drawn to Kimimaro emanated an intense sense of danger.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Sakura and the other two finally caught up, and were immediately surprised to see Kimimaro caught in the battle.

"What... what is that monster? How could it possibly fight Kimimaro to a draw?"

Sakura stared in horror at the two figures locked in fierce combat in the wilderness, the sounds of clashing weapons echoing continuously.

"Luckily, we weren't running too slowly..."

Miki Uchiha also breathed a sigh of relief; this kind of monster was not something they could handle.

"Several people from Konoha."

Shinichiro Kusama walked over with his subordinates, greeting Sakura and the others with a smile.

"We are truly grateful for your help this time; otherwise, we would have suffered greatly at the hands of that murderer. We are extremely thankful."

Kimimaro and the Shinichiro Kusama couldn't intervene at all, or rather, they didn't have the courage to go up and fight the monster again.

A group of people noticed Sakura and her friends who had arrived later, and came over to express their gratitude.

"This serial killer was our target all along, so there's no need for thanks. You all look exhausted, so why don't you go and rest? We won't bother you any longer."

Rindou stepped forward, blocking Shinichiro Kusama was trying to get closer.

Shinichiro Kusama gave an awkward smile. He didn't dare to fight the monster, but he was also afraid of Jonin the Jonin of Konoha, so he thought he should stay with Sakura and the others, pretending to protect them...

"What are you doing to that girl?" Sakura shouted, looking incredulously at Taizo Kusama and the others biting the red-haired girl's arm.

Are all you Grass Ninja perverts?

Sakura glared at Shinichiro Kusama and questioned him loudly.

Being pointed at by a Genin ninja girl, Shinichiro Kusama was displeased, but he still managed a smile. "Little girl, you've misunderstood. Karin is also one of our comrades. She possesses a unique healing Ninjutsu, and she's helping her comrades heal their injuries!"

"Is that so?" Sakura looked at the girl called Karin with some skepticism, who gave her a very... subtle smile.

Rindou Uzumaki was frowning as she looked at Karin, sensing that something was amiss.

Suddenly, a furious roar came from afar.

"You damned bastards, open your mouths!" (To be continued)