A Powerful Young Man

"Kill!"

Dozens of ninja shouted in unison. Then, one of them wielding a kunai charged straight at a boy of around twelve.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Every move they made was vicious. Each killing strike targeted the boy's neck, heart, eyes, and other vital points.

One moment of carelessness, and the boy would likely become a corpse the next second.

Yet, facing their lethal attacks, the boy's lips curled slightly. He quickly formed hand seals with one hand—Ox, Snake, Ram—as Chakra erupted from his body in an instant.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"

In an instant, thick mist spread rapidly outward from the boy.

The next second, the charging ninja found their vision obscured, unable to see what lay ahead at all.

"Retreat! That's his ultimate technique!"

Several Jonin abruptly stopped their advance, kicked off the ground, and rapidly retreated.

They might have gotten away safely, but screams continued to ring out from within the mist.

If someone from the Hyuga Clan had been present, they would have seen the boy wielding a Black Bone Blade, continuously appearing around the ninja who had charged into the mist. The next second, the Black Bone Blade would precisely slice across their throats or plunge into their hearts.

As the boy moved at high speed, the Bone Blade in his hand became like a reaper's scythe. In merely five seconds, more than a dozen Elite Chunin had had their lives harvested.

The scent of blood filled the thick mist. The boy's expression remained calm, and his lips even held a faint curve, as though he were admiring his own handiwork.

Even with the mist everywhere, he seemed able to see—or rather, sense—everything.

"Swish!"

He flicked the Bone Blade through a flourish, the Black Bone Blade spinning continuously in his hand.

"Heh. This is already the thirty-sixth time you ninja from the Land of Fire have tried to intercept me. Can't you send someone stronger?"

Within the mist, the boy looked at the three Land of Fire Jonin outside it who had escaped disaster thanks to their quick reactions and could not help mocking them.

"Damn it!"

Outside the mist, the expressions of the three Land of Fire Jonin were incredibly grim, and they all cursed under their breath.

It was not that their plan had failed. The enemy before them was simply far too terrifying.

Just as he had said, this was already the thirty-sixth attempt by the Land of Fire's ninja to intercept him.

And none of those who had come to intercept him before had ever escaped.

In other words, the Land of Fire alone had sent more than a hundred ninja after him.

They had assumed his previous victories had been mere luck, so this time they had assembled six squads. Each squad was led by a Jonin and consisted of three Elite Chunin or Special Jonin.

They had thought this interception was a sure thing. Instead, the moment they clashed, the enemy caught them completely off guard.

Now, of the six squads, only the three Elite Jonin remained.

The three exchanged glances. The Elite Jonin from the Senju Clan, who was their leader, gritted his teeth and said, "I'll stay behind and cover the retreat. You two, hurry back and report what happened here to Lord Hashirama and Lord Madara."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two Elite Chunin did not waste words. They immediately nodded, then used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished at once.

However, from within the mist, the boy watched the two Elite Jonin rapidly fleeing toward the heartland of the Land of Fire. His lips curved slightly, but he had no intention of pursuing them.

Then he waved a hand, and the thick mist instantly dispersed. His deep eyes, carrying a trace of killing intent, looked at the Elite Jonin who had remained behind. With a faint smile, he said, "I have to say, you have courage. Even after witnessing my methods firsthand, you still dared to stay behind and cover their retreat."

"Hmph. There are no cowards in the Senju Clan."

The Senju Clan Elite Jonin snorted. Though his eyes were filled with wariness, he had no intention of backing down.

Seeing this, the boy nodded, then smiled. "Good. You have the courage to face death. I'll remember you. Tell me your name."

"Genma Senju!"

"Genma Senju? What is Hashirama Senju to you?" the boy asked again.

"You talk too much."

Suddenly, Genma Senju used the Body Flicker Technique and appeared behind the boy. The kunai in his hand swiftly stabbed toward the back of the boy's neck.

"I got him!" Genma Senju wore a triumphant expression.

"Clang!"

Yet just as delight surged through him, a Black Bone Blade suddenly blocked his kunai. The boy did not even turn his head, as if he had eyes on the back of it.

"Heh. As if it would be that easy."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"

As the boy's words fell, several white bones rapidly emerged from his back. In an instant, they turned black and pierced straight through Genma Senju's body.

"Thud!"

The instant Genma Senju's corpse hit the ground, the black color on those bones gradually faded before they slowly retracted into the boy's body.

"I originally wanted to chat with you for a while, but you were so eager to die. I could only send you to Yomi early." The boy smiled faintly. Then, instead of continuing toward the heartland of the Land of Fire, he turned around and sealed the corpses on the ground into a Sealing Scroll.

After finishing all that, the boy turned and headed south.

At night, beside a bonfire, a rabbit and a pheasant were roasting, sizzling as fat dripped from them. Once some seasoning was sprinkled on, a rich fragrance instantly spread through the air.

"Whew!"

At that moment, the boy sitting beside the fire took a deep breath, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Food in its natural state is still the best. It's just a pity that war is everywhere now. This kind of life has lasted for years already. I wonder when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the two Gods of Shinobi, will finally join hands and end this chaotic age?"

As his sigh faded, a trace of nostalgia appeared in the boy's eyes. He did not belong to this world, and he had no idea how he had come here.

Seven years ago, his soul had replaced the original owner of this body, but he had not dared reveal anything unusual.

Fortunately, this body had still been young then, and the war had not been as intense as it was now. Thus, he had lived peacefully in the Kaguya Clan for two years.

During those two years, the Kaguya Clan's patriarch had personally cared for him and discovered that he possessed exceptional talent.

As a result, within the Kaguya Clan's territory, he learned all kinds of combat techniques.

After two years of peaceful days, he was sent into the Kaguya Clan's forbidden ground for a trial. He nearly died there, but in the end, he not only survived, he also gained a transmigrator's benefit—a system.

The novice gift pack contained Three-Color Haki from the world of One Piece.

Within the Kaguya Clan's forbidden ground, he trained his Observation Haki to an advanced level and his Armament Haki to an intermediate level.

As for Conqueror's Haki, there had been no progress.

He survived in the forbidden ground for three years. Two years ago, war broke out in the Shinobi World, and the Land of Water was not spared. When he emerged from the forbidden ground, the Kaguya Clan's patriarch had already died on the battlefield in the Land of Fire.

After the new Kaguya Clan patriarch took office, he, as the former patriarch's adopted son, naturally became a thorn in the new patriarch's side. Thus, after a simple clan meeting, he and more than a hundred Kaguya Clan ninja were sent to war together.

Now, two years had passed. The war was nearing its end, and he had long since become a ninja accustomed to life and death.

Thinking of this, the boy sighed. Then his brows furrowed tightly as he murmured, "These Land of Fire ninja really are impossible to shake off."

As he spoke, he unhurriedly ate the rabbit and pheasant still roasting over the fire, bite by bite. Only after sensing that more than a hundred Land of Fire ninja had surrounded the nearby woods did he leisurely pick up the Black Bone Blade beside him. His gaze turned toward the place in the forest where Chakra was surging, and he called out, "Since you're here, come out!"