Just as Mito was about to die, a figure swooped down like a Flying Swallow.
The buzzing sound, like a young girl sobbing, instantly drove back several enemies who were closing in.
Sosuke let the Chidori Lament in his hand dissipate and looked down. The Ponytail Princess had completely passed out.
Adamantine Sealing Chains consumed a vast amount of chakra. She had only just awakened to the power, and managing to hold on this long was already incredible.
"You sure like putting on a brave face." Sosuke scooped her up around the waist and slung her over his left shoulder like a piece of cargo.
After taking care of the minor details, he turned to look at the white-haired man with the ferocious expression.
"Kaguya Hisao?" he asked.
For certain unspeakable secrets, Sosuke had once pored over a list of the notable powerhouses in the Ninja World.
Among them was Kaguya Hisao, a Clan Head-level powerhouse who had awakened Shikotsumyaku.
He hadn't expected these lunatics to be the ones plotting an ambush against the Uzumaki Clan.
Sosuke thought his opponent looked like a lunatic, unaware that he himself looked even more like a monster right now.
With those strange wings and devilish curved horns, the Jashin Sect would probably bow down and worship him if they saw him.
Hearing the other man call out his name, Kaguya Hisao's gaze flicked to those red eyes.
"Sharingan?" The man's expression turned slightly odd. He couldn't understand when the Uchiha Clan had gotten mixed up with the Land of Whirlpools.
Even if reinforcements were coming, shouldn't it have been someone from the Senju of the Forest?
Anyone else would have guessed the boy's identity from his unusual appearance, but the white-haired man before him was different.
Like most other members of the Kaguya Clan, Kaguya Hisao had nothing but muscle on his mind. Every day, he was either cutting people down or on his way to do so.
Why would he pay attention to some damned rising star?
After a brief moment of confusion, Kaguya Hisao waved his hand. In the next instant, his clansmen's blades came down on the boy.
How could he let the prey he'd set his sights on just walk away?
"There's no talking to you." Sosuke stretched out his free right hand, gathering Nature Energy and Lightning Style chakra at his fingertips.
A black-and-white blade of lightning pierced straight through the chest of the man in front of him.
[System Notification: Enemy defeated. Earned 280 Points.]
He'd come all this way for the sake of killing enemies and earning Points.
With nearly three hundred Points added to his total, Sosuke immediately felt that the trip had been worth it.
Sensing enemies closing in from both sides, he beat his wings hard and shot sideways.
Shadow Clone Technique!
He handed the unconscious Mito over to his Shadow Clone. Then Sosuke slowly turned around, deciding to harvest a batch of Points before he reached his limit.
[Points: 7120]
He was getting closer and closer to the amount needed to redeem Flying Thunder God, and he could barely wait.
"Nicely done." Just as he was about to attack, a figure suddenly closed in on him.
The immense pressure was suffocating, instantly making Sosuke abandon the idea of pursuing the enemies.
He gathered the Chidori Lament and slammed it into the incoming bone spike.
Boom! A terrible shockwave erupted, sending the Kaguya Clan members who tried to approach flying backward.
"Hahahaha, not bad, kid!" Kaguya Hisao roared with laughter. He loved hunting prey capable of fighting back.
If they were too easy to catch, the pleasure he got from it would be greatly diminished.
The man was clearly pleased with Sosuke's performance.
"..." By now, Sosuke had lost all desire to trade blows.
No wonder he was a top powerhouse renowned throughout the Ninja World. His strength was simply beyond measure.
The likes of Fūma Masaki couldn't begin to compare.
Even with the Cursed Seal state boosting him, Sosuke was nearly at his limit.
Bang! The shockwave burst, and a figure flew backward like a cannonball, slamming into the dockside warehouse.
The blood spraying from him as he flew made it clear he was badly injured.
Seizing the opportunity, the Kaguya Clan members nearby rushed into the warehouse ruins, hoping to capture the Uchiha boy.
Seeing this, Kaguya Hisao didn't continue the pursuit. He was confident the boy couldn't have survived that violent collision without being badly hurt.
"What a shame." The white-haired man tossed away the bone blade in his hand, his expression tinged with regret.
If only he could have waited a few more years. The boy's strength would surely have grown further, giving him even more intense surprises.
The thrill of torturing a truly powerful opponent far surpassed the satisfaction of killing a few nameless minnows.
Sounds of fighting came from the warehouse, but Kaguya Hisao paid them no mind. Even a fish struggled before dying, let alone a living person.
No matter what, the other man wouldn't be getting off the docks today.
With unshakable confidence, Kaguya Hisao began his long wait.
When the battle had lasted more than a minute, he still didn't care.
When the cries of his clansmen came from the warehouse, his gaze wavered slightly.
When three minutes had passed, Kaguya Hisao finally began to lose patience.
"Bunch of good-for-nothings. You can't even take down a kid."
He didn't want to admit that his strike hadn't seriously injured the boy.
But the facts were right in front of him. It didn't matter whether Kaguya Hisao was willing to believe them.
He drew another bone blade from his arm. Before he could run over, he saw a figure hurtling into the sky.
[Points: 8230]
"Hahahaha!" Covered in blood, Sosuke threw his head back and laughed at the white-haired man below.
The Kaguya Clan really were something else. Their strength was no joke. In just three minutes, he had earned over a thousand Points.
As for his injuries, they were nowhere near as severe as Kaguya Hisao thought. His Cursed Seal transformation gave him excellent durability.
Or rather, Nature Energy granted its users formidable defensive abilities.
Taking the Ponytail Princess from his Shadow Clone, Sosuke beat his wings and flew away without looking back.
Kaguya Hisao was tremendously powerful. Combined with his Shikotsumyaku, he was one of the strongest Clan Head-level fighters of the Warring States Period.
If they fought seriously, Sosuke wouldn't stand a chance against him. He might not even last a few minutes.
The only way he could kill the man was to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
But for now, the system list didn't offer the Mangekyo as a redemption option. Sosuke had no idea how many Points it would cost.
As for awakening it through an emotional shock of his own—
That would probably be difficult. Even if everyone Sosuke knew were killed, it likely still wouldn't be enough to make him awaken it.
"Being so indifferent isn't a good thing, either."
After an unknown amount of time, Mito groggily woke up.
In the moment before her memories went blank, she thought she had seen a familiar figure.
"Strange. Why did I suddenly think of him?"
One second.
Two seconds...
Three seconds...
"Ah!" Mito cried out and scrambled to her feet. At last, she spotted the figure outside the cave, preparing food.
"Uchiha Sosuke!"
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