I Still Want More

The sky was stained crimson.

Three days of lying low had brought him a perfect opportunity.

An opportunity for Sosuke to kill every last one of them.

When he charged alone into the bandits' camp, they were still gathered together, singing and dancing, completely unaware that death had crept up on them.

It wasn't until a great fireball came crashing down without warning, flames swallowing and incinerating them, that the bandits gradually realized something was wrong.

"Th-there's a ninja!"

"Quick, go get the Second Boss!"

Only ninjas could fight ninjas. The stronghold had stood for so long because all three bosses were superhuman beings who could fly through the sky and burrow underground.

In the world of ordinary people, ninjas were synonymous with superhuman abilities. They couldn't tell which ninja was stronger or weaker.

Nor would they know that they were nothing more than a smokescreen to distract from the real target.

A shuriken traced a graceful arc through the air, and two bandits who had tried to flee in the distance fell to the ground.

"Forty-seven." Sosuke wiped the blood from his blade. The firelight flickered across his face, making it impossible to see his eyes clearly.

Only the string of cold numbers leaving his lips seemed to speak of the boy's merciless nature.

He realized that killing really did become numbing with time.

[Points: 3427]

After slaughtering the entire stronghold, his accumulated points had surpassed the three-thousand mark.

This was much easier than simply chasing down and hunting targets. Tonight's operation had once again proved a simple truth: even the tiniest mosquito was still meat.

As long as he killed enough people, even a group of nobodies who couldn't even be called ninjas could still be worth as much as a powerful ninja.

Besides, tonight's main event had yet to begin. According to the intelligence, all three bosses were experts who had mastered ninjutsu.

"Still not coming out?" Sosuke sheathed his short sword and pulled a large handful of shuriken from his ninja tool pouch.

Anyone with excellent chakra control was bound to be skilled with concealed weapons. His throwing skills were among the best in the entire Uchiha clan.

"Get out here!"

He gave his wrist a slight flick, putting just the right force into it. Several shuriken whistled away, forcing the figure hiding behind a pillar out into the open.

He knocked the incoming shuriken away with his blade. The burly man fixed a sullen gaze on the boy below. "If all you want is to complete your mission, there are enough heads down there for you to turn in. How about we leave each other alone?"

When the boy remained unmoved, the stronghold's First Boss could only shake his head helplessly. "Very well. If you're determined to die, then we'll grant your wish today."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath Sosuke's feet split open. A hideous Earth Dragon burst out and sent him flying.

Seeing the Earth Dragon swallow the boy whole, the First Boss's lips slowly curled into a mocking smile. "You really don't know your place."

"Impressive work, First Boss." A hoarse voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a mysterious man, completely wrapped in a black robe, approaching at a leisurely pace.

"Heh." The First Boss gave a dismissive laugh and looked toward the thatched hut on the other side. "As long as the three of us are alive, we can build another stronghold whenever we want. You can rest assured, sir."

"Good."

The Black-Robed Man gave a few strange chuckles. His hoarse voice made the First Boss deeply uncomfortable, as though someone were constantly rubbing sandpaper against his asshole.

I'll kill that bastard one day. The First Boss drew a deep breath, knowing it was only a joke.

The Black-Robed Man's clan was a behemoth even he couldn't afford to provoke, let alone the man's own astonishing strength.

Were it not for a series of fortunate coincidences, his three brothers would never have had the chance to serve him.

With that in mind, the First Boss patiently added, "By the way, we'll ship that batch of goods to the Land of Water as soon as possible."

He had meant to coordinate a shipping date, but the Black-Robed Man's gaze remained fixed on the area below.

There was no sign of the brat's body in the dirt. The Black-Robed Man's expression darkened, and his whole body tensed. At the same time, he casually asked, "First Boss, where are your two brothers?"

The First Boss, slowly sensing that something was wrong, shouted several times with all his might. But aside from the crackling of the flames around them, no answer came.

Something had happened!

The bandit First Boss, who had killed countless people, suddenly felt a fear rising from the depths of his heart.

The thick darkness seemed to hide a beast, watching him quietly from somewhere. The moment he let his guard down, it would pounce and tear the flesh from his bones with its fangs.

"Don't lose your nerve." Just then, the Black-Robed Man's voice rang out. He suddenly spun around and flung three kunai toward a corner of the shadows.

"Get out here!"

Only when the boy's figure emerged beneath the moonlight did the First Boss finally breathe a sigh of relief. At least he had come out. The most terrifying danger was the kind hidden in the shadows.

Raising his greatsword, the burly man demanded sharply, "What did you do to my two brothers?"

[Points: 3573]

Glancing at his points, which were about to pass the four-thousand mark, Sosuke's face lit up with delight. "What a stupid question."

Indeed, the Black-Robed Man silently added to himself.

Stopping the man who was about to attack, the Black-Robed Man spoke in a hoarse voice. "Young man, we don't know each other. Aren't all the lives here enough for you to complete your mission?"

"No." Sosuke shook his head. He was still more than two thousand points short of redeeming the Cursed Seal. Every head was a precious reward.

"But—" The Black-Robed Man had just begun to say something when he suddenly attacked without warning. His target, however, wasn't the boy in front of him.

Staring at the blade that had pierced his chest, the First Boss tried to open his mouth, but his opponent had no interest in hearing his last words.

The blade jerked free, and the spray of hot blood took the last glimmer of light from the First Boss's eyes.

"That should be enough to report back, right?" The Black-Robed Man held the bloodied blade, his entire bearing growing even more sinister.

Every sign pointed to him being an expert. There was no need to go out of his way to provoke someone like that over an ordinary mission.

But Sosuke wanted an expert now.

If the man wasn't strong, how could he provide a large number of points?

"Fine." Sosuke nodded and turned to leave without a second thought.

In the next instant, the two of them almost simultaneously threw kunai at each other.

"Coward!"

"You shameless old bastard!"

Clang! The kunai collided in midair, then bounced off in opposite directions.

Before they could even hit the ground, the Black-Robed Man had already charged at Sosuke like lightning, bringing his blade down in a sweeping slash.

The black tomoe in his pupils tightened slightly, and Sosuke dodged the enemy's powerful strike.

"Oh?" The Black-Robed Man seemed a little surprised. He hadn't expected the boy to be even more skilled than he'd imagined.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't change the difference in strength between them.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!