It had been several months since Shiba Seika had crossed into this world, but he still hadn't fought a ninja from one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries head-on.
As a result, he'd never been able to accurately judge his own strength.
Although he'd earned widespread respect within the Akatsuki Organization, everyone knew that the ranks of ninjas from minor villages were often inflated.
When it came to the real measure of strength, the Five Great Shinobi Countries were what counted.
So he focused all his attention on the battle ahead!
What he didn't know was that the older ninja facing him wasn't merely a Chunin. He was actually a Special Jonin!
The next moment, Shiba Seika tossed the Straight Sword in his hand into the air and formed Hand Seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Pull!"
This was a ninjutsu Shiba Seika had learned through exchanges within the Akatsuki Organization. It was a very ordinary C-rank Lightning Release technique, but it suited his fighting style perfectly.
A bolt of Lightning Strike drawn down from the sky struck the Straight Sword he'd tossed up.
He'd wrapped the handle in insulating cloth beforehand.
Then, with his right hand—the one that had just formed the seals—he grabbed the Lightning Blade as it fell and charged toward the older Iwagakure Special Jonin, trailing brilliant azure lightning!
The sight made the older Iwagakure ninja look astonished once again.
The technique he'd just seen was common. He'd encountered it before, and he clearly remembered it as nothing more than an ordinary ninjutsu that called lightning down from the sky to strike an enemy.
Why could this boy use it to enchant a weapon?!
There really was something special about this brat!
He'd suspected earlier that Shiba Seika possessed a unique visual jutsu, and now he was even more convinced.
But in truth, Shiba Seika had nothing of the sort. He was just wracking his brain to stay alive.
The Iwagakure Special Jonin dodged the first slash, but Shiba Seika's footwork was practiced. As soon as he closed in, his blade swept out in an unbroken flurry of attacks!
Before long, the Iwagakure Special Jonin had no choice but to use his Kunai to block.
But after just one block, his entire arm went numb and stung with pain.
The Lightning Release on the blade was giving him a great deal of trouble.
With no other choice, the Iwagakure ninja threw his Kunai away, then leaped backward at great risk.
Shiba Seika's upward slash nearly split him open on the spot!
But the risky move succeeded in breaking him free. While still in midair, he hurriedly formed Hand Seals with his now-free hands.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Gun!"
This technique could be considered an upgraded version of Rock Pillar Gun. It instantly summoned a greater number of sharp stone spears beneath the enemy's feet!
And that wasn't all. After landing, the Iwagakure ninja continued forming Hand Seals, then slapped the ground again.
"Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Palm!"
A violent tremor spread outward from beneath his hand.
Row after row of storage cabinets toppled over, filling the warehouse with dust. Even the nearest wall was instantly covered in cracks.
The merchant Ando, farther away, shrieked in terror like a panicked groundhog.
"Ahhhhhhh!!"
Beside Ando, the last Iwagakure Genin stood guard with a Kunai in hand. He exclaimed in delight, "We did it! We killed that despicable Rain ninja!"
After finishing his combination of ninjutsu, the older Iwagakure Special Jonin panted heavily for a few breaths.
But like his Genin teammate, his face showed a hint of delight and relief.
In the middle of the cracked warehouse floor nearby, the enemy's impaled body hung from a stone spear, still clutching the Straight Sword covered in lightning patterns.
Hmph. Just what you'd expect from a ninja of a small country.
The older Iwagakure Special Jonin had just begun to feel smug when, the next moment, the corpse hanging from the tip of the stone spear went "poof" and burst into a cloud of smoke.
It was a slap in the face!
As the clone vanished, the Straight Sword fell to the ground.
It was precisely because Shiba Seika had given the clone that distinctive Straight Sword, marked with lightning patterns, that he'd thrown off the enemy's judgment!
The next moment, the collapsed storage cabinets nearby burst apart. The real Shiba Seika charged out through the dust and debris, scaring the older Iwagakure Special Jonin out of his wits!
By now, the Iwagakure Special Jonin had almost no Chakra left.
Starting with the first Earth Release: Rock Pillar Gun at the beginning of the battle, he'd already used four powerful ninjutsu in a row.
That alone had cost him nearly as much as an early-stage Chunin's reserves.
As a Special Jonin, he'd truly done his best.
Now, with Shiba Seika charging at him again, he could only throw a Kunai with all his strength before starting to form Hand Seals once more.
This time, however, Shiba Seika didn't leap into the air to dodge preemptively.
He'd clearly seen the enemy panting heavily just now, which let him accurately realize that the man was running low on Chakra.
And based on what he'd learned a few seconds earlier, when he'd tested the enemy at close range, the man's Taijutsu was somewhat crude. So he boldly concluded that the enemy wouldn't choose to fight him up close right now!
So he tossed out a few halfhearted Shuriken.
At the same time, Shiba Seika abruptly changed direction and rushed toward the spot the enemy had last been watching!
Sure enough, just as Shiba Seika had expected, the Shuriken he'd thrown carelessly pinned the enemy who'd stayed behind in place, turning him into a wooden post.
The enemy hadn't dared to fight him head-on, so the technique he'd used while forming Hand Seals had been the Substitution Technique!
As he changed direction and turned, Shiba Seika completed his own Hand Seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter!"
Lightning Release Chakra enveloped his palm and forearm. Using his hand in place of the weapon he'd discarded, he struck with the classic pose of Kakashi stabbing Rin and pierced the Iwagakure Special Jonin through the heart!
Not far away, the Iwagakure Genin who'd just been celebrating prematurely gaped in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
The tables had turned in an instant!
With his life ebbing away, the Iwagakure Special Jonin stared fixedly at Shiba Seika and used the last of his strength to demand, "How do you keep seeing through our techniques? Do you have a visual jutsu? Are you a Jonin? A Jonin this young...?"
Shiba Seika coldly pulled his hand free. Only after confirming that the man was beyond saving did he kindly offer an explanation.
"I don't have a visual jutsu. I just have a brain."
Who said you needed a visual jutsu to see through an enemy's movements?
You could do it with your brain, too.
Didn't you have one?
The Iwagakure Special Jonin seemed to understand the mockery in Shiba Seika's words. His eyes widened, bloodshot with fury.
But he could no longer say anything.
After dealing with this rather troublesome enemy, Shiba Seika took care of the last Iwagakure Genin as well, then restrained the hoarder Ando, who'd been so frightened he'd wet himself.
The consecutive deaths of the Iwagakure ninjas nearby had scared the black-hearted hoarder witless. All he could do now was beg for mercy.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Didn't your Akatsuki Organization say everyone should understand one another? I understand you! I understand you completely now! So you can't kill me!"
Shiba Seika gave him a mocking smile and ignored him, turning instead to look out the window.
As soon as the battle began, Konan, who could fly, had volunteered to drag the Iwagakure squad leader outside the warehouse to fight.
The commotion had also drawn over the wandering ninjas from the Land of Rain who'd been patrolling the woods around the area.
Seeing them seemed to give Ando a little more confidence.
But the next moment, after leaving the warehouse, Shiba Seika dispatched all those wandering ninjas in just a few seconds.
The sight terrified Ando completely, making him let out another shrill, groundhog-like scream.
"Ahhhhh! How could you kill them? They're all from the Land of Rain! Doesn't your Akatsuki Organization always say people from the Land of Rain should understand one another? They're not Iwagakure! They're not!!"
The only response he got was Shiba Seika's full-force slap across the face.
Up in the air, Konan was locked in a fierce battle and had no time to criticize Shiba Seika for his cruelty.
On the contrary, she'd heard every word Ando had just said. For a moment, her heart was a jumble of feelings, impossible to put into words.
Their ideals, Yahiko's vision, their teacher's teachings—how had everything ended up like this?
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