Inhuman

Inhuman

Anko no longer had the leisure to pay attention to Water Erosion. Beast Soldier Guard's onslaught, like a landslide and tsunami, had suppressed the two ninja.

"Damn it!" Anko cursed under her breath. Her gaze swept over the wrecked ground before she suddenly bent down and grabbed a spear left behind by a Wasabi Family guard.

At the Ninja Academy, part of the curriculum covered cultural knowledge, while ninjutsu requirements were limited to the Three Basic Techniques. Most of the students' time was still spent on training in taijutsu, ninja tools, and various weapons.

Blades, spears, swords, and halberds were not her specialty, but no matter how unskilled she was, she could only rely on the reach advantage of the weapon to contend with Beast Soldier Guard's blade.

With a low shout, Anko gripped the shaft tightly and swung the spear sideways with all her strength, wielding it like a heavy staff.

A trace of contempt flashed through Beast Soldier Guard's eyes. His blade slashed diagonally upward, striking the middle of the spear shaft with perfect precision.

Clang—!

At the moment of impact, the purple-haired kunoichi felt an overwhelming force surge through the spear. Her arms shook violently, and the weapon nearly flew from her grasp. She staggered back several steps before barely steadying herself, her chest heaving sharply.

The instant Beast Soldier Guard knocked aside the spear!

Shizune's left hand flashed across the specially made launcher on her right arm.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

More than a dozen tiny glints, nearly impossible to detect, shot out like poisonous bee stingers. Silent yet swift as lightning, they flew from extremely tricky angles toward several joints and vital points around Beast Soldier Guard's body! They were the secret Poison Senbon she had refined!

Beast Soldier Guard reacted just as quickly! He spun sharply, his long blade weaving a frigid curtain of light before him!

Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!

Most of the Senbon were accurately knocked away, sparks scattering everywhere. Yet several still slipped through gaps in the blade light and buried themselves viciously in the outer side of Beast Soldier Guard's sword arm, his left thigh, and the soft flesh at his waist.

Beast Soldier Guard's towering body paused slightly, his movements stopping for an instant. He lowered his head and expressionlessly looked at the tiny Senbon embedded nearly halfway into his flesh, as well as the ominous dark-purple color rapidly spreading around the wound. He reached out with his left hand, pinched the end of the Senbon precisely between two fingers like iron pincers, and yanked it out!

Sshk!

A thin spray of black blood shot out with the Senbon!

The dark-purple color around the wound spread at a visible speed, and even the blood vessels beneath his skin had turned an eerie bluish-black.

"That's Poison Senbon, with a specially made neurotoxin. You can't cure it."

Shizune's taut nerves relaxed slightly. Her gaze instinctively flicked toward where Itachi and Corpse Erosion were fighting, judging whether support was needed.

"Shizune-senpai! Watch out!!"

Anko's horrified scream exploded like thunder!

Shizune's pupils constricted as she whipped around! There was not the slightest trace of poisoning pain or panic on Beast Soldier Guard's weathered face! His eyes remained like cold pools, filled only with indifference! It was as though the spreading dark-purple poison did not exist at all.

The bloodstained blade came crashing down at Shizune's head with even more resolute killing intent than before!

How is that possible?!

This scene, which defied all reason, blanked Shizune's mind in an instant! The slight sluggishness brought about by her long absence from the ninja ranks became a fatal opening at this moment!

She only had time to raise a Kunai over her head to block, while desperately leaping backward!

Clang—!!! Crack!

The piercing sound of metal breaking and the anguished cry of bone rang out at the same time!

The long blade shattered the Kunai. Though its momentum was reduced, it still struck hard against Shizune's hastily raised right arm. The launcher shattered like paper, and the blade sank deep into her arm bone, producing a teeth-grating scraping sound!

"Agh—!"

The intense pain made Shizune's vision go black. Fortunately, the Kunai and launcher had offered protection. Though her right arm was badly injured, the blade only cut into the bone and failed to split both her and her arm in two.

Even so, the injury to her right arm instantly robbed Shizune of most of her fighting strength!

At that moment, the Katsuyu on Shizune's body erupted with even more powerful chakra, supporting her body and healing her injuries.

Fury churned in Anko's eyes. She used the spear in her hand as a javelin, hurling it with all her strength at Beast Soldier Guard's back. At the same time—

"Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands!"

Ten thick venomous snakes shot from her sleeves, fangs bared as they viciously bit toward Beast Soldier Guard's neck and sword arm.

It was as though Beast Soldier Guard had eyes in the back of his head! Without even looking at the whistling spear, he merely shifted slightly and let its tip tear through his haori. He completely ignored the venomous snakes biting at him as well!

Pfft! Pfft!

The snakes' fangs sank deeply into his flesh!

A low, beastlike roar came from Beast Soldier Guard's throat! He paid no heed to the venomous snakes biting him. His eyes held only the badly wounded Shizune on the ground! He raised his blade once more, aiming directly for Shizune's vulnerable neck!

The ten snakes were pulled taut by Beast Soldier Guard's violent movements. The immense force dragged Anko along, but she gritted her teeth, maintaining the technique and restraining Beast Soldier Guard's movements.

Beast Soldier Guard's sword swing was halted by the sudden tremendous pull! The blade barely swept past less than half a foot from Shizune's neck!

Seizing that fleeting chance at survival, Shizune endured the heart-rending pain and dizziness from blood loss. Green chakra wrapped around her left hand as she pressed her palm against the wound on her right arm without hesitation.

"Mystical Palm Technique!"

Supported by the vast, pure chakra flowing from the Katsuyu on her shoulder like a tidal wave, the light of the Mystical Palm Technique blazed more brilliantly than ever before! Severed blood vessels were forcibly reconnected and sealed at a visible rate. Torn muscle tissue wriggled madly and regenerated under the stimulation of powerful vitality! The torrent of blood was almost completely stopped within seconds!

The wound was healing rapidly, but Shizune's face was pale as paper, her body trembling uncontrollably.

What chilled everyone's hearts even more was Beast Soldier Guard.

The wounds on his neck and arm, enlarged by the pulling, were bleeding. The poison beneath his skin continued spreading stubbornly, even turning half his face an eerie bluish-black.

Yet he himself seemed like a killing weapon incapable of feeling pain, disregarding wounds and deadly poison alike.

Even the cold indifference in his eyes remained completely unchanged, and his movements showed not the slightest delay!

Beast Soldier Guard tore the snakes off his body, flinging Anko to the ground.

The samurai raised his blade again, still targeting the utterly weakened Shizune!

Under Beast Soldier Guard's inhuman performance, the scales of victory were irreversibly tipping toward the abyss of despair.

Beast Soldier Guard's long blade, carrying the will to end it all, tore through the air once more as it slashed toward Shizune!

Just as that cold blade was about to touch the loose hair before Shizune's forehead—

A figure suddenly appeared between Shizune and the killing blade without any warning!

There was no earthshaking entrance, no dazzling burst of light. The instant he appeared, one foot came down with incomparable precision and tremendous force!

Clang—Boom!!!!

A terrifying, ear-splitting crash that seemed capable of overturning the entire courtyard suddenly erupted!

That foot, clad in a ninja sandal, did not land on the ground. Instead, it stomped firmly upon Beast Soldier Guard's katana as it came down with thunderous force, like Mount Tai crushing from above!

Centered on the point of impact, an extremely condensed ring-shaped blast of air erupted outward! The bluestone beneath them cracked, shattered, and collapsed as though struck by a meteor! Spiderweb-like fissures spread wildly for several meters!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

For the first time, Beast Soldier Guard's eternally frozen face twisted violently!

The muscles in his sword arm bulged like iron, veins standing out one after another as he tried to pull back or force down the blade pinned beneath that foot!

However, the force coming from the blade was like a giant tree rooted in the earth—heavy, vast, and utterly immovable! No matter how he exerted his strength, the vicious blade that had slain countless foes seemed forged beneath the other person's foot!

Dust and shattered stones slowly drifted down.

The figure standing before Shizune kept one foot firmly planted on the blade.

He turned his head slightly, revealing half of a young yet frighteningly calm face. His gaze swept over Shizune behind him, still reeling from the shock, and Anko, struggling to rise.

"Sorry, I'm late."

That gentle voice instantly dispersed the suffocating despair.

He met Beast Soldier Guard's ferocious eyes, which had turned completely crimson with rage and shock.

(End of Chapter)