Speculator

The explosive glare faded away.

A flash of disappointment crossed Lin Qing's eyes.

At the same time, the ground burst open, and a hand reached out.

Biwa Juzo was not dead.

Although he suffered extensive burns across his body, several ribs had snapped in the explosion, and his internal organs were hemorrhaging, this tough guy—who in the original work dared to take a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on—was still alive.

At the very last moment, he had utilized the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, targeting himself to hide deep underground.

Biwa Juzo's life was simply too tenacious.

However, the battlefield and the workplace were much the same; work never proceeded exactly according to plan. Lin Qing had long understood this, and the disappointment in his heart vanished in an instant.

He lifted the Blade of Ruin with one hand once more.

But this time, the situation had changed slightly.

Lin Qing took a step.

The group of enemies retreated a step.

Lin Qing ran.

Biwa Juzo and his party ran as well.

County Magistrate Senmura, who was slow on his feet, couldn't care less about the indignity of riding a dog; he mounted the ninja beast summoned by Dire Wolf, slapping its rump repeatedly as he fled with the main force.

The scene before them was bizarre and utterly absurd.

The residents of the county, peering through the cracks in their doors and windows, thought they hadn't woken up yet and were still dreaming, subconsciously slapping themselves across the face.

For a time, the sound of slapping echoed incessantly throughout the county.

"Lin Qing! This is your greatest weakness!"

Raiga Kurosuki shouted in a low voice, "As long as we keep our distance from you, you lose all your means of attack!"

As he spoke, he brandished the two long blades in his hands, clanging as he deflected the bullets fired in rapid succession by Aero Smith.

Aero Smith's frontal combat power was barely sufficient to bully ordinary genin or chunin.

To pierce through the defensive line of experts at the level of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen while they were on guard was simply impossible.

Lin Qing knew the opponent was right.

This was the reason Lin Qing had ridden a horse at the very beginning.

It was to facilitate a rapid advance and catch them off guard.

Raiga Kurosuki continuously unleashed bolts of lightning, maintaining a distance of over ten meters between them; no matter how Lin Qing tried to break through, he could not close the gap.

Lin Qing's brows furrowed slightly.

Compared to Raiga Kurosuki, who was scattering lightning, Biwa Juzo—carried on the shoulder of Dire Wolf while his hands moved in a blur of seals—gave Lin Qing a much greater sense of impending crisis.

I cannot let him complete his ninjutsu.

Lin Qing made his judgment and switched to Hermit Purple, wrapping it around the Blade of Ruin.

He gripped the vines and swung his arm; the Blade of Ruin instantly began to spin in the air, emitting a terrifying, whistling hum.

Everyone knew how terrifying this strike would be. The samurai and ninjas, like elementary students afraid to meet their teacher's eyes during a classroom question, all averted their gazes, terrified of becoming Lin Qing's target.

Only Biwa Juzo did not lower his head; his intuition told him that Lin Qing's target for this strike was none other than him.

Lin Qing swung his arm. The Blade of Ruin flew straight toward Biwa Juzo.

"Damn it! I knew it!"

Biwa Juzo cursed loudly, accelerating the speed of his hand seals once more.

But how could he be faster than a thrown blade?

Three or four samurai running in the back tried to use their own blades to intercept it.

The moment they made contact, their swords shattered with a bang, the shards embedding into their faces. They wailed in agony, collapsing to the ground and struggling in vain.

The Blade of Ruin did not lose momentum, smashing toward Biwa Juzo.

Raiga Kurosuki's two long blades appeared once again.

Clang—

The Blade of Ruin collided with Kiba for the second time.

Raiga Kurosuki exerted every ounce of his strength.

But Kiba was not a heavy-duty blade like Samehada or the Kubikiribōchō; it was designed for speed and agility. Having been forced into consecutive head-on collisions to save Biwa Juzo, the edges of the blades had begun to curl, and Raiga Kurosuki gritted his teeth in heartache.

"Get... lost!"

Raiga Kurosuki knocked the Blade of Ruin away.

Biwa Juzo shouted, "Well done!"

His ninjutsu was nearing completion; as long as that technique was unleashed...

Lin Qing would surely die.

"Silver Ripple Overdrive!"

Lin Qing took a deep breath, and a silver ripple traveled along Hermit Purple, coating the pitch-black Blade of Ruin in a silver sheen as a stream of silver-white energy erupted from the hollows on the back of the blade!

Sshhh—

The sound was sharp, piercing the soul.

The air distorted, and the Blade of Ruin, which had been knocked away, descended through the air with even greater speed than before!

County Magistrate Senmura gasped in shock:

"A, a miracle!"

This was not just his thought; the samurai following him and the residents peeking through windows and door cracks shared the same sentiment.

Wielding such a massive blade with one hand was already an incredible feat in itself.

Now, to be able to manipulate the blade through the air—and considering that wherever Lin Qing stepped, ice and snow melted, and he had chased the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen like stray dogs...

Other than a "miracle," there was truly no other explanation.

Biwa Juzo did not care about any damn miracle.

He only knew that if this strike landed, he was a dead man!

"Save me!"

Biwa Juzo roared.

It was not that he feared death.

His tide-turning ninjutsu was about to be unleashed, and to fall on the eve of victory would leave Biwa Juzo unable to close his eyes in peace.

But Lin Qing's methods were too fast, too ruthless.

Raiga Kurosuki had deflected the first strike of the Blade of Ruin, but his body was off-balance, and he had no time to come to the rescue again.

"I'll do it!"

A man rushed out from the crowd.

It was none other than County Magistrate Senmura's top henchman, Dire Wolf.

Extreme excitement flashed in his eyes.

The opportunity had arrived!

Dire Wolf was an excellent opportunist.

He belonged to a very, very small ninja village.

In his youth, while others were picking C-rank or B-rank missions, he carefully selected A-rank missions that suited him.

Of course, the price was that all his companions died.

So-called companions were a dime a dozen.

That was why he had become an elite jonin at a young age.

After reaching adulthood, Dire Wolf participated in a coup within his village, but he wasn't aiming for success. Even if it succeeded, so what? It would be nothing more than leading a small village; he wouldn't take it even if it were offered to him.

On the night of the coup, Dire Wolf raided the warehouses of two organizations, took everything of value, and became a rogue ninja.

Later on, Dire Wolf became a subordinate of County Magistrate Senmura.

This remained a perfect investment; now that County Magistrate Senmura was only one step away from a promotion, it wouldn't be long before Dire Wolf transformed from a rogue ninja of a small village into a true man of power.

At this very moment.

Biwa Juzo's technique was about to be completed.

Dire Wolf was about to make the most important investment of his life—

To save one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, become the key to turning the tide of battle, and kill the traitor Lin Qing!

Just as everyone else was avoiding the danger, Dire Wolf charged forward without hesitation, holding his ninja sword high as he screamed in his heart:

"Come on! Lin Qing!"

"Deliver the wealth, power, and fame I crave!"

Dire Wolf refused to believe that he, a dignified elite jonin, couldn't even block a single strike?!

The Blade of Ruin descended.

In the 0.1 seconds that it collided with the blade in Dire Wolf's hand, the Silver Ripple Overdrive suddenly condensed at the edge, and a faint crack was heard.

Dire Wolf's sword snapped.

The Blade of Ruin fell straight down, slicing Dire Wolf in two.

Thump—

The corpse of Dire Wolf lay on the ground, his face still brimming with a smile that had yet to fade.

An opportunist who chased profit his entire life, he died in an investment where he had gambled his very existence.

But thanks to his obstruction, Biwa Juzo, who had been hiding behind him, did not die!

Biwa Juzo froze for half a second, before hot tears welled up in his eyes:

"Thanks, brother! I never expected a small county town to hold a man of such hot-blooded passion as you. When this is over, I will personally give you a grand burial and pay my respects every holiday."

Biwa Juzo stood up, finished the final hand seal with both hands, and looked at Lin Qing:

"Now, are you ready to die?"

"Water Style: Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

Endless torrents of water gushed from Biwa Juzo's mouth, instantly forming a massive sphere of water covering hundreds of meters, engulfing Lin Qing within it.

"Raiga!"

Biwa Juzo shouted.

Raiga Kurosuki held his twin blades high, and bolts of lightning descended into the water sphere, unleashing a bombardment upon Lin Qing with no blind spots.

"I want you dead!"

Biwa Juzo glanced at the corpse of Dire Wolf on the ground and said coldly:

"I want you, for this sincere and brave man..."

"To pay in blood!"