Dead?
Hearing Haori's words, none of the Iwagakure shinobi present wanted to believe it.
They all knew the famous Hunter. He was an elite in the Demolition Corps. How could he have died at the hands of some kid?
But what left them speechless was that Hunter really had taken part in this interception mission, and the kids in front of them really had broken through.
More importantly, they had all noticed Haori's scarlet eyes, which seemed to silently lend his words more credibility.
No one dared question the power of the Sharingan, even when it belonged to a kid!
"Are you scared?"
Haori continued walking slowly toward the group of Iwagakure shinobi. As he moved, he discreetly made a hand signal and kept adjusting his breathing.
Kakashi and the others, who had been about to urge him to stop, froze behind him. None of them acted rashly.
"Looks like you really are afraid."
Haori kept advancing. His presence grew stronger, and his chakra was already boiling within him.
The three Tomoe in his eyes began spinning rapidly, and his vision grew exceptionally clear!
The best way to push the Sharingan to its limits was to force it to grow through emotional trauma.
But emotional trauma might not work very well for Haori. Perhaps he still hadn't experienced a pain he couldn't bear.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so many years in the Land of Whirlpools before awakening the Two Tomoe.
Beyond emotional trauma, there was training in Yin Release to strengthen his spirit, studying books and documents to fill in the gaps, and honing his skills through battle.
Haori had learned some basic Yin Release training from Aoba, but he didn't have time for it on the battlefield.
That left only the last option as the best approach for him right now!
"Once I get back, I'll have to settle down and train properly. And I wonder what that Uchiha Ultimate Weapon can do for me."
Haori silently repeated the thought to himself, and his power reached its absolute peak.
Boom—
In the distance, Namikaze Minato's toad was still locked in a fierce struggle with the Five-Tails.
The ground shook ceaselessly beneath the two monsters' battle, and the rumbling never let up.
Amid the thunderous noise, Haori gradually quickened his pace. His scarlet eyes seemed to gleam with an eerie light.
A sense of oppression spread through the Iwagakure shinobi. The rumbling and the sweep of those scarlet eyes made their hearts pound.
But as they watched Haori draw closer, the mocking words from earlier seemed to echo in their ears.
"Attack! Let's take him down!"
At last, one of the Iwagakure shinobi seemed unable to bear it any longer and suddenly roared.
With that roar, all the Iwagakure shinobi sprang into action!
They drew their weapons and charged at Haori with shouts.
"Might Guy, Aoba, move now."
Seeing this, Kakashi immediately took out a scroll and spoke.
"I'll support Haori. Leave the bridge demolition to you two."
"But—"
Might Guy and Aoba hadn't expected Kakashi to act so decisively, but they quickly took the scroll and nodded.
"No problem. Leave it to us!"
Haori's hand signal had been to tell them he would draw the enemy's attention so they could make their move.
They took a deep breath, then seized their chance and set off.
With Haori drawing their attention, they wouldn't have to face many enemies. As long as Haori and the others kept the Iwagakure shinobi occupied, they were confident they could complete the mission!
"Then..."
Seeing them move, Kakashi formed Hand Seals, and the lightning of Chidori appeared in his hand once more.
He was anxious too. Haori's plan to draw the enemy's attention was a good one, but it also put him in danger.
And Kakashi didn't think one person could handle so much on his own.
The Iwagakure shinobi in front of them weren't especially strong, since most of their elites were at the front lines, but there were simply too many of them.
"I have to back Haori up as soon as possible, or..."
Kakashi thought to himself. But just as his Chidori was ready, he witnessed a sight he would never forget!
"This feeling..."
As he watched the Iwagakure shinobi rush toward him, he felt something strange.
His eyes could follow the movements of most of the Iwagakure shinobi present!
He couldn't see everything or instantly understand all their intentions.
But he could roughly predict where they would attack and trace the likely paths of their strikes. That was more than enough!
"Ah!"
Amid the blur of moving figures, one Iwagakure shinobi cried out. A Kunai had somehow pierced his chest.
That cry was only the beginning. Once Haori plunged into the crowd, cries of pain rang out one after another.
Surrounded by so many Iwagakure shinobi, Haori moved through them like a dragon.
His movements were stripped down to their essence, yet he kept striking as he darted and spun. From a distance, it looked almost like a graceful dance.
But every Iwagakure shinobi who came into contact with him was knocked down!
Haori also saw Might Guy and Aoba moving into position. He knew he had to fight even more fiercely!
In the crowd, he nimbly dodged the attack of an Iwagakure shinobi in front of him, while the Kunai in his hand plunged into the body of another beside him.
Then he grabbed the man's corpse and used it as a shield behind him, while taking the Kunai from the man's hand with his other hand.
Clang—
With a metallic ring, his Kunai blocked an Iwagakure shinobi's attack in front of him, while the one he held behind him was already riddled with Kunai.
He drove his knee forward. The Iwagakure shinobi in front of him felt a sudden cramping pain in his abdomen, and the next moment, a cold sensation at his throat.
"Die!"
With that shinobi dealt with, another had already reached Haori's side, raising a Ninja Sword and swinging it down hard!
Haori frowned slightly, but his expression remained calm.
His back and flank were still blind spots, but his reactions were fast enough, and his own speed could make up for the weakness!
He spun quickly and dodged the strike, then ducked to avoid another blade coming down from above.
He slid quickly in front of an Iwagakure shinobi. Before the man could react, Haori thrust his Kunai upward with all his strength.
Thud—
With a muffled sound, the Kunai pierced straight through the man's chin!
Forming a Hand Seal with one hand, Haori's scarlet eyes shifted slightly as he activated the Substitution Technique and a genjutsu.
An Iwagakure shinobi who had just charged up to him froze in place. In the next instant, he had switched places with Haori.
"I'll borrow your sword."
Without waiting for a response, Haori snatched the man's Ninja Sword from his hand—and the man was already being taken down by one of his own comrades!
Moving among dozens of Iwagakure shinobi, Haori seemed completely at ease.
Even when he appeared to be in danger, he had remained in control from beginning to end.
Under Haori's attacks, the Iwagakure shinobi were wounded or killed, and their morale plummeted.
They couldn't understand how so many of them could be so helpless against one person.
Roar—
The Five-Tails continued howling in the distance, and the ground kept trembling.
But now, it wasn't just the ground that trembled. Their hearts did too!
"Is that all you've got?"
After knocking another Iwagakure shinobi to the ground, Haori stopped and looked at the ones who seemed afraid to charge again.
He was tired too. Keeping his attention so intensely focused and using the Sharingan with all his might had left him a little dizzy.
But he maintained his calm, quietly giving himself a moment to recover.
Boom, boom, boom—
Just then, a series of explosions suddenly rang out.
The blasts kicked up clouds of dust, and amid the flashing flames, the bridge behind them slowly collapsed!
The ground shook even harder, and everyone present understood what it meant.
Surrounded by smoke and fire, Haori casually tossed down the Ninja Sword. He folded his arms across his chest and fixed his scarlet eyes on the Iwagakure shinobi, whose faces had gone ashen.
"Looks like it's all over. Iwagakure really has no one left."
I was going to schedule this post, but I just realized I clicked the wrong thing on the previous chapter.
This newbie is begging you to keep reading. Right now, reader retention determines everything for a novel. Letting chapters pile up unread can easily kill one.
Thanks, everyone! Onz