Inabi Tests His Blade

His lips moved soundlessly, forming a few words.

The Three Tomoe slowly spun, clearly reading Scarface's lips:

"Save... Hikari... please..."

Shisui's gaze shifted behind Saint Charlos's palanquin.

There, several bodyguards were dragging along a crude cage.

Inside, the Red-Haired Woman, Hikari, was tightly bound in iron chains, a rag stuffed in her mouth, her face covered in blood and grime.

She glared fiercely in the Celestial Dragon's direction, her eyes filled with overwhelming hatred and despair.

Saint Charlos followed Scarface's gaze toward the cage and grinned even more broadly.

"Oh? Still want to look at your woman? Don't worry, I'll take good care of her. A wild mare like that is only interesting once she's been broken in."

He waved a hand at the Executioner.

"Dig out the hearts of these three fish bastards. I want to see whether they're blue.

"As for that legless bug...

"Too filthy. Throw it to the Sea Beasts."

The Executioner bowed in acknowledgment, picked up a specially made blade gleaming coldly, and walked toward the still-twitching Fishman Boy.

The light in Scarface's eyes quickly dimmed, the last trace of life draining away.

Yet he continued staring fixedly in Shisui's direction, his gaze carrying one final plea.

Uchiha Shisui stood where he was.

His black robes did not stir in the blood-scented breeze.

The gentleness on his face had long since vanished, replaced by an utter, icy indifference.

The slowly turning Three Tomoe in his scarlet Sharingan revealed that his heart was far from as calm as it appeared.

He could defeat these Executioners. Those bodyguards were no match for him either.

With his speed, there might still be a chance to save the dying Fishman Boy and Scarface.

But that would inevitably expose him.

Should he attack a Celestial Dragon directly?

That would mean becoming an enemy of the entire World Government. The clan head had said not to provoke the Celestial Dragons for the time being.

These people were mere strangers to him. Did he truly need to offend the strongest power in this world for them?

Did he really need to put his clansmen in danger for these people?

Was it truly necessary?

Shisui slowly closed his eyes.

At his ears came the faint scrape of the Executioner's blade, the Fishman Boy's final rasps from his throat.

The excited whispers of the onlookers, Saint Charlos's pleased chuckle.

Together, they formed a cruel symphony.

When Shisui opened his eyes again, the Three Tomoe in his scarlet Sharingan abruptly sped up for an instant.

Just as he was about to use the Body Flicker Technique to try and save them.

A familiar voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, hey, hey, what the hell are you trash doing? Why are you blocking my way?"

Shisui turned in slight surprise and saw Inabi approaching from not far away.

Inabi also glanced at Shisui, with no intention of greeting him whatsoever.

The crowd ahead was packed tightly together.

"Move."

Inabi's voice was not loud, even somewhat lazy, yet it carried an unquestionable coldness.

He wore a simple black outer robe.

The newly acquired Ryo Wazamono, En'yōmaru, hung casually at his waist.

The end of its scabbard dragged along the ground, making a faint scraping sound with each step.

He did not look at anyone. He simply walked straight toward the Executioners who were about to lay hands on the Fishman Boy.

The Sabaody residents watching nearby instinctively backed away and made a path, afraid of being implicated.

This man actually dared to offend the Celestial Dragon's people.

Was he tired of living?

Saint Charlos's attention was drawn over.

He tilted his head with amused interest, the tiny eyes beneath his glass dome sizing up Inabi:

"Oh? Another insect? There sure are a lot of rats today."

Inabi seemed not to hear him and had already walked up to the Executioners.

He lowered his head and looked at the three Fishman Boys who had been skinned alive, their bodies still twitching faintly.

There was no pity in his eyes, only an almost cruel scrutiny.

"Skinning... heh."

Inabi tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile devoid of warmth. "The pastime of lowly people."

One of the Executioners grew uneasy under his gaze and barked fiercely despite his fear:

"Get lost! This is Saint Charlos's property! If you dare interfere, we'll take you too—"

Before he could finish.

A flash of steel.

En'yōmaru did not even fully leave its sheath, drawn only a little over a foot.

The gleaming blade swept through the air, leaving behind three nearly overlapping afterimages.

Slash.

Three faint sounds, so slight they were almost inaudible.

Thin lines of blood appeared across the throats of all three Fishman Boys at once.

Their final painful convulsions abruptly ceased, and a hint of relief flashed through their vacant eyes.

Clean and precise, without a single unnecessary movement.

After a brief, deathly silence, Saint Charlos suddenly rose from the edge of his palanquin.

His face beneath the glass dome twisted with rage:

"You—you dare kill my things?!!"

His shrill voice tore through the air. "Kill this filthy commoner! Chop him up and feed him to the fish!!"

The four nearest Black-Clad Bodyguards moved instantly!

Their movements were incredibly swift, clearly the work of trained men. Two drew their swords and slashed straight at Inabi's neck and waist.

The other two came barehanded, fierce gusts of force sealing off his left and right!

"Tricks of the weak."

Inabi did not even turn around.

The wrist gripping his sword hilt merely twisted slightly.

"Flame Style: Spinning Whirlwind."

The dark-red flame patterns along En'yōmaru's blade suddenly lit up!

Rather than spewing from his mouth, a ring of searing fire erupted directly from the blade!

The flames were dark red, hot enough to make the air crackle and explode as they spread outward from Inabi in an instant!

The faces of the four charging bodyguards changed drastically!

They instinctively sensed the deadly threat and forcibly halted their charge.

Some raised their blades to block, while others hurriedly retreated!

Boom!

The ring of fire exploded!

The heat scorched the ground black!

The blades held by the two sword-wielding bodyguards were instantly heated red-hot and flew from their hands!

The other two, who were barehanded, fared even worse. Their clothes caught fire, their skin burned with pain, and they staggered back, frantically beating at the flames!

In just one exchange, four elite bodyguards had been forced back!

Only then did Inabi slowly turn around and look at the furious Saint Charlos, the curve of his lips carrying undisguised mockery:

"These are your dogs? They don't seem very tough."

"Trash! All of you are trash! Get him! Everyone, get him!!"

Saint Charlos shrieked, his fat trembling all over as he pointed at Inabi.

More bodyguards surged in from every direction, and several of them even began to glimmer with the black sheen of Armament Haki!

At the same time, the Executioners revealed vicious looks and drew their weapons as they moved in to surround him.

Inabi's eyes turned cold as he finally drew En'yōmaru completely from its sheath.

The long, narrow blade reflected a sheen of intertwined chill and heat beneath the setting sun.

"Since you want to die..."

He lowered his body and assumed a peculiar opening stance, raising the index and middle fingers of his left hand together before his chest:

"Then this is perfect for testing my blade!"

"Fire Style: Flame Blade Dance!"

He moved!

No longer standing still on the defensive, he charged straight into the crowd!

Blade light and flames erupted at once!

Every slash sent forth a scorching arc of flame!

The flames did not spray out chaotically. Instead, they coiled around the blade like living creatures.

Following his chops, thrusts, and sweeping strikes, they became one deadly line of fire after another!

Exhilarating! This was far too exhilarating!

A wild grin spread across Inabi's lips as he raised his blade and swung it.

Normally, Chakra was concentrated within a ninja's body. To make it easier to control, they would usually form hand seals to guide the Chakra within them, gather it in their mouths, and then unleash ninjutsu.

Of course, some ninjutsu could also be released away from the body, but their power would inevitably be greatly reduced.

Yet Inabi suddenly realized that the En'yōmaru in his hand could actually help him guide his Chakra and directly unleash Fire Style!

Though its power was slightly reduced as well.

But the feeling of being able to use Fire Style without forming hand seals...

It was incredible!!!

Sshk!

A bodyguard's fist coated in Armament Haki collided with the flaming blade, only to be forcibly sliced open with a charred wound!

Boom!

Another bodyguard tried to block with his sword, but the shockwave from the exploding flames split the web between his thumb and forefinger and bent his blade!

Inabi's figure weaved through the crowd, his Three Tomoe Sharingan already activated.

It precisely caught every enemy's movements and weaknesses in their strength.

His swordsmanship was swift and vicious, combined with the nature transformation of Fire Style Chakra.

He brought En'yōmaru's characteristics into full play.

This blade possessed astonishing affinity for and amplification of fire-element Chakra!

In just over ten seconds, another seven or eight bodyguards fell screaming to the ground, their bodies marked by charred sword wounds and burns.

Though Inabi took several blows himself, he either redirected them with deft force or avoided vital areas. Only his clothes had suffered some damage.

He carved a path through the crowd, his target clear.

Straight toward the Celestial Dragon directing the fight—Saint Charlos!

"Stop him!"

Fear had already crept into Saint Charlos's shriek.

Several of the strongest bodyguards, Armament Haki covering most of their bodies, roared as they formed a formation in front of Saint Charlos.

Inabi stopped and looked at them, the mockery in his eyes deepening. "Now this is getting a little interesting."

He gripped his sword with both hands, its tip angled toward the ground, and took a deep breath.

The air around him began to distort slightly as scorching heat steadily rose.

Just as he was about to unleash a stronger attack.

"This ends here."

A cold, indifferent voice devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation poured over the blazing battlefield like ice water.

At some point, three figures had silently appeared at the edge of the battlefield.

They all wore white suits and white capes, with strange masks of different designs covering their faces and revealing only their eyes.

The mask of the one in front was pure white, without any decoration.

Only two narrow slits at the eyes revealed an indifferent gaze.

Standing there, he seemed utterly out of place with his surroundings, radiating a hollow presence that made hearts tremble.

"CP0!"

The knowledgeable onlookers sucked in cold breaths and instantly scattered like frightened birds and beasts, retreating even farther away.

The Celestial Dragons' highest-ranking personal guard, the World Government's strongest intelligence agency.

CP0 had arrived!

Inabi raised an eyebrow, sensing from the newcomers a dangerous aura utterly unlike that of every enemy he had faced before.

But rather than backing down, he grew even more excited:

"Finally, someone halfway decent?"