Overwhelming

"Teaching? Hmph!" Nara Hisayo's face darkened with anger. He pulled several shuriken from his Ninja Tool Pouch and hurled them at Shizuka in the tree. The chilling chakra from before had made him realize that even the three of them together might not be a match for their opponent. But this person wanted to use them as teaching material? How could he tolerate that?

Shizuka was briefly stunned by the sudden shuriken, but she still possessed the basic qualities of a samurai. She swung her blade with both hands, slashing repeatedly and knocking away the incoming shuriken.

"Shadow Bind Technique!" Shuriken rarely killed directly; they were more often used to cover an attack. At that moment, Nara Hisayo successfully extended his shadow through the shadows of the flying shuriken and caught Ruri!

"Akiju, Heisaku, go!" Hisayo instinctively felt that something was off. His opponent was so powerful—how had she been caught so easily by the Shadow Bind Technique?

"Super Multi-Size Technique!" Akiju did not think much about it. His combat instincts were not particularly sharp; he only needed to follow orders and fight. Under the Super Multi-Size Technique, his body swelled into a small mountain. Then he curled himself into a ball. "Super Human Bullet Tank!"

The ordinary Human Bullet Tank he had used to clear out fodder before could not compare to the Super Human Bullet Tank. Although the Super Human Bullet Tank was harder to steer than the Human Bullet Tank, it covered a wider area and carried greater power. There was no need to worry about accuracy! It could easily crush boulders dozens of meters wide! Even Ruri would not have a pleasant time being flattened by such a massive mountain of flesh!

"Girl, watch closely. When drawing your blade for Iaijutsu, grip the mouth of the scabbard with your hand, press with your little finger, brush against the left side of your belt, pull your left elbow fully back, then slash!" Though caught by the Shadow Possession Technique, Ruri could still speak.

"Tch, what are you still talking about... Damn!" Nara Hisayo had just been about to sneer when he felt an enormous surge of chakra. The Shadow Possession Technique was broken apart in an instant and could no longer be maintained! Her chakra reserves were practically cheating—but sheer force really was effective!

Ruri's right hand did not move. Her left hand drew her blade, and with a swish, she slashed!

A wave of air surged forth, yet Akimichi Akiju seemed unaffected and continued rolling toward Ruri!

"Sheathing the blade is also an important step. Keep the scabbard at your waist, hold the blade roughly level, then return it to the sheath. This is basic respect for your opponent. Of course, if you cut them to death outright, you can skip this step." Ruri still sheathed her sword one-handed and fixed her gaze ahead.

Shizuka memorized Ruri's lessons on Kenjutsu, only to see that giant ball of flesh still rolling at high speed while Ruri stood motionless in place, as if she had been frightened stiff!

"Lord Musashi!!" Shizuka cried out in alarm, though she had no idea whether it would help.

Just as the giant ball of flesh formed by Akimichi Akiju was about to reach Ruri, it stopped. His entire body rapidly shrank back to its original size, and he collapsed unconscious. A blade wound so deep that bone was visible lay across his chest.

Even while rolling at high speed, he had been struck in a vital spot by Ruri's single slash! Only after looking carefully did Shizuka notice a trail of blood stretching out behind Akimichi Akiju!

"Mind Transfer Technique!" Yamanaka Heisaku had sensed that something was wrong as soon as Akimichi Akiju launched his attack. His opponent had been too calm and clearly had something prepared. So he had silently waited at the side for an opportunity, and now it had finally come.

After defeating an enemy with one strike, they would inevitably become somewhat arrogant. That was the moment when they were most relaxed. If he used the Mind Transfer Technique to control his enemy in a sneak attack from the side, there was an eighty percent chance of success!

Ruri was hit, but she had allowed herself to be hit. Do not forget that there was more than one consciousness inside her. Even the Seven-Tails, completely sealed by the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals, was not something the will of a mere Yamanaka Clan Jonin could provoke!

"Get lost!" Yamanaka Heisaku felt only the roar of an ancient ferocious beast. That mountain-and-sea-like consciousness instantly shattered his own consciousness. It returned to his body, and he collapsed unconscious on the ground!

He was lucky. The Seven-Tails was not an utterly vicious Tailed Beast. If it had been a Tailed Beast like the Nine-Tails, a mass of hateful chakra, then after using the Mind Transfer Technique, Yamanaka Heisaku's only possible fate would have been becoming a vegetable.

"Retreat!" Two Jonin on this side had already fallen, their lives and deaths unknown. Nara Hisayo saw that the Chunin behind them were being driven back step by step under the siege of Mitsunosuke, Fujiwara Masatsune, and the others. At last, he resolved to retreat.

Hisayo grabbed Heisaku and Akiju in one hand each, then looked up and asked, "Who are you, sir? Are you determined to oppose Takigakure?"

"Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai." Ruri smiled as she watched Hisayo leave. She had another objective to begin with and had no intention of exerting herself fully here. This Nara Hisayo seemed rather impressive. Carrying a Yamanaka Clan ninja one-handed was one thing, but he could even lift that fat Akimichi Clan man as well.

"Miyamoto Musashi? Konoha... Takigakure will remember this!" After several Body Flickers, Nara Hisayo's back vanished into the distant forest.

Even at a time like this, he did not forget to frame Takigakure? Just how deep was Tobirama's grudge against Takigakure for his subordinates to go this far? The ninja techniques of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans were so distinctive that only someone as inexperienced as Mitsunosuke could fail to recognize them...

Fujiwara Masatsune and Mitsunosuke arrived, both covered in blood. Masatsune looked somewhat embarrassed. As a Jonin, he had been unable to do anything to a group of Chunin, and in the end, he had even let every last one of them escape. Mitsunosuke had intentionally held back to wear down the Fujiwara Clan members, but even so, this Jonin's abilities were clearly far too watered down.

"Why did you let them all go?" Fujiwara Masatsune asked unhappily. He had sensed the violent eruption of chakra over here long ago and had thought the enemy Jonin had killed Ruri. Instead, Ruri had easily defeated them, yet she had not stopped them at all and had simply watched three enemy Jonin escape?

"My mission is to ensure that the goods transported by the merchant caravan are not lost. Whether the enemy lives or dies has nothing to do with me." Before Fujiwara Masatsune, Ruri resumed that unfathomable, aloof demeanor.

"You...!" Masatsune was rendered speechless. But even if he was angry, there was nothing he could do to Ruri.

"Senior Musashi, thank you for saving my life." Mitsunosuke gave a standard samurai bow. If Ruri had not saved him earlier, he would have had no choice but to die.

"Let's continue onward." Ruri waved a hand. She had only saved them for certain purposes; Mitsunosuke and the others still had value.

Masatsune might have felt frustrated. Without another word, he went to deal with the scene. The corpses of those lower-ranking samurai needed to be disposed of quickly. If more pursuers came later, they could easily follow the bloodstains to find their trail.

With nothing else to do, Ruri became interested and continued teaching Shizuka Kenjutsu beneath the tree. Mitsunosuke watched from the side as well. Kenjutsu of this level could help him too.

"Lord Musashi..." Fujiwara Shizume walked up to Ruri with a cane. Mitsunosuke immediately pulled Shizuka aside.

"Clan Head Fujiwara, do you need something?" Ruri asked indifferently. Earlier, she had thought Fujiwara Shizume would die in the ambush, but she had not expected him to emerge completely unscathed. After all, even Fujiwara Masanori, an Elite Chunin, had died in battle.

[Name: Fujiwara Shizume]

[Overall Strength: Jonin (Senior Samurai)]

[Talent: Elite Jonin (Senior Samurai)]

[Attribute: Wind]

[Special Ability: None]

[Evaluation: An old man who once upheld the spirit of the samurai. Learning ninjutsu in his later years caused his reputation to suffer, and his body was greatly affected, but his strength remains.]

Huh? This old man was very good at hiding! Ruri had instinctively used the system to inspect his data and only then discovered that Fujiwara Shizume was actually a Senior Samurai. This old man's aura had always made her feel that he was weak, making him difficult to notice. She had not expected him to have hidden himself so deeply!

"Those were Konoha's ninja just now, weren't they?"