The Assassination Begins

Kazuma's secrecy was indeed not very good.

Not only did Konoha, where Kazashiro lived, know that he wanted to assassinate his target, but Yaowan also received the news.

"That brat could easily get in the way of our plans, so let's take this opportunity..."

Knowing that Kazashiro was difficult to deal with, Hei Black Zetsu encouraged Yao Wan to take action.

He was unaware that the man before him had already harbored ulterior motives and was plotting to capture him and Setsuna in one fell swoop.

After a moment's thought, Yaowan felt it was too early to lay his cards on the table, especially since Kazashiro's presence was indeed hindering his plans to some extent.

However, since this dark thing next to it is so eager to kill the other party, perhaps it should...

"In that case, let that guy go."

The guy Yaowan was referring to was naturally Setsuna.

"After all, it was he who handed over the Three-Tails to someone else in the first place..."

Thanks to Setsuna, the current Demonic Statue of the Outer Path only ate one of the Three-Tails.

In the forest path of the Land of Fire.

Kazashiro walked at the front, followed by two guards.

The Izumo Kamizuki, Kotetsu Hagane.

According to the original plan, Kazashiro should have been accompanied by two Jonin.

However, Konoha is currently in a phase of rapid development, and the search for the defector Uchiha has not stopped, so two Chunin were dispatched.

Their purpose in this trip was to sign a new treaty between Mount Kikyo and Sunagakure.

"Snap."

As Kazashiro silently advanced, his left foot had just landed and his right foot hadn't even had a chance to lift when he heard a soft click, and several crossbow bolts were fired as the mechanism activated.

Kazashiro suddenly turned around and leaned back, dodging the crossbow bolt attack.

Before he could even straighten up, the ground beneath his feet began to rumble again.

"Earth Release: Mountain and Rock Technique!"

The ground beneath their feet transformed into two semicircles that rose from the ground, approaching Kazashiro with a deafening roar.

"The Lord Hokage?!"

Upon seeing this Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane immediately assumed fighting stances, preparing to rush forward and rescue Kazashiro.

Unexpectedly, several figures suddenly appeared from the shadows and blocked their way.

Seeing that the huge rocks were about to crush him into a meat patty, Kazashiro did not panic. He activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and instantly appeared next to Izumo Kamizuki.

He also used Kunai to slit the throat of one of the figures.

"Can..."

With an incredulous expression, Kashi clutched his neck, feeling life draining from his wound, yet utterly helpless.

"Damn it, Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Seeing his companion lose his life so carelessly, Heishi let out a furious roar of resentment and wielded his earthen spear to stab Kazashiro and Izumo Kamizuki behind him.

"Wind Release: Wind Slash"

Grabbing Izumo Kamizuki's arm, Kazashiro deftly dodged the earthen spear's attack. Seeing this, Tsuchihito kicked Kotetsu Hagane aside and launched Ninjutsu to coordinate with Heishi's attack.

Are you trying to use Wind Release in front of me?

Kazashiro glanced in the direction of Tsuchihito, activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and he and Izumo Kamizuki arrived beside Kotetsu Hagane.

He intended to use the same method to eliminate the other enemy in front of Kotetsu Hagane, but Kengou sensed danger the moment he saw Kazashiro's figure disappear and took the initiative to distance himself from Kotetsu Hagane with Mibu.

"I apologize, Lord Hokage, we failed to detect their presence in time."

Izumo Kamizuki looked guilty. They, who should have been protecting Kazashiro, had instead become the ones being protected.

"It's nothing, I didn't even notice them."

Kazashiro didn't care much, since he had received a warning before leaving the village that someone would come to assassinate him.

Ice Release: Frozen Cloud.

With his hands forming a mudra, he exhaled a cloud of cold white mist, and within minutes, the people present were enveloped in the thick fog.

"This is bad. This is Ninjutsu that once severely injured the Fourth Raikage. If inhaled, it will cause irreparable damage to the lungs."

The group, who had thoroughly investigated Kazashiro's background before the assassination attempt, immediately remembered the Ninjutsu's abilities and quickly distanced themselves from the attacker.

"Use Wind Release!"

Kengou loudly reminded Tsuchihito, increasing the distance slightly.

Tsuchihito nodded, indicating that he had heard this, and took a deep breath: "Wind Release: Wind Emperor Cannon".

The compressed whirlwind exploded the moment it hit the ground, tearing up large chunks of earth and dispersing the white mist in front of it.

Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!

The wind fanned the flames, and the moment the white mist was dispelled, Kazashiro used Fire Style, taking advantage of the opponent's Wind Release to expand the attack range to the extreme.

The group of people, instantly engulfed in flames, suffered terribly, experiencing firsthand the extreme contrast of fire and ice.

"Earth Release · Earth Style Wall."

The earthen wall rose, keeping the flames out, but as Kazashiro continued to increase his Chakra output, the thick earthen wall emitted a cracking sound.

It can't hold on for much longer.

As the caster, Heishi knew the limits of the Earth Style Wall and signaled to his teammates to quickly think of a solution.

"That's Shimura Kazashiro, kill him!"

Just as the Earth Style Wall was about to be breached, several figures wielding samurai swords rushed out and surrounded Kazashiro and the others.

"Warrior?"

Izumo Kamizuki glanced at the other party. Although he couldn't find any identifying features on them, he could tell from their posture and the way they held their swords that they were extraordinary.

Ronin couldn't possibly create such a standard offensive formation.

The samurai ignored Izumo Kamizuki and swung their katana at them.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane exchanged a glance, then, suppressing their anger, charged forward.

I might not be able to defeat those sneak-attacking ninjas, but surely I can defeat you samurai?

With this in mind, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane decided to vent their anger on these idiots in front of them.

Result...

As Kotetsu Hagane's weapon was knocked away, the two, now bearing several wounds, retreated in a disheveled state.

The relentless barrage of sword strikes prevented them from unleashing even a single Ninjutsu, forcing them to rely solely on their physical prowess to fight head-on.

The strongest samurai bypassed the two and charged straight at Kazashiro, who had just finished using Fire Style.

"Don't even think about it!"

Despite sustaining two more wounds, Izumo Kamizuki threw a shuriken in an attempt to halt the opponent's momentum.

Unexpectedly, the opponent suddenly exerted force with his feet and appeared in front of Kazashiro almost instantly in full view of everyone, so the shuriken naturally missed.

Body Flicker Technique, no, shrinking the ground?

Seeing the blade so close at hand, Kazashiro frowned, covering his palm with ice, preparing to take the blow head-on.

"Secret Technique: Triple Strike!"

The blade that slashed down became three; besides the one Kazashiro tried to block, two other attacks accurately struck his ribs.

Without time to think, Kazashiro hurriedly expanded the coverage of the ice to his entire body, thus blocking the opponent's first wave of attacks.

He intended to unleash Ninjutsu while the opponent sheathed their sword, but the enemy in front of him had no intention of giving Kazashiro the chance. He suddenly twisted his body, and the blade slashed towards Kazashiro's neck again.

"I see. So, it's said that skilled samurai can prevent ninjas from using Ninjutsu by unleashing a barrage of attacks?"