I'm Just Here to Steal the Kill

In a rundown town on the edge of the Land of Fire, two Jonin fought desperately. Everyone on the street had hidden indoors, afraid to show their faces. Yet a child of barely five strolled in as if out for a leisurely walk, drawing everyone's attention.

Neither Chiba Tengfei nor the Blood Ninja could help glancing toward Shin. Their hearts sank. When you were fighting for your life, the last thing you wanted was a third party showing up.

But when they saw that he was only a Special Jonin, they relaxed. One Special Jonin wasn't much of a threat. Once they had dealt with their opponent, they could take care of him without much trouble.

Besides, both of them were already committed to the fight and had no time to pay attention to Shin. The Blood Ninja aside, Chiba Tengfei had used his clan's forbidden technique, which would last only an hour. If he couldn't kill his opponent within that time, his old and new injuries would flare up all at once. Even if he survived by sheer luck, he would be severely wounded and unable to move.

"Blood Ninja, prepare to die!"

Chiba Tengfei roared. His hands flashed through the seals, completing them in an instant. "Chiba Secret Technique: Thousand Flame Kill!"

His long hair snapped off all at once. Stimulated by chakra, the strands grew sharper than steel needles. With a thunderous whoosh, they burst into flame and shot toward the Blood Ninja in a dense mass, like fiery steel needles.

"You're asking for it!"

The Blood Ninja gritted his teeth and completed his hand seals at the same time as his opponent. "Blood Secret Technique: Triple Blood Evil!"

Whoosh!

He thrust out a blood-red palm. It pierced the air, sending ripples surging outward as it hurtled forward. Then it split into three layers midair, charging to meet the attack.

The two powerful A-Rank secret techniques collided in midair.

Rumble!

Several deep cracks split the buildings on both sides of the street. The chakra shock wave, powerful enough to kill a tiger, blasted in every direction. Some ordinary people had been peeking through their doorways and didn't have time to shut them. The shock wave swept through, smashed their doors, and sent them sprawling to the ground, wailing in pain.

When the shock wave reached Shin, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier and naturally split around him. It only swept his clothes upward and did him no real harm.

The two fighters each stumbled back three steps, then charged at one another again, clashing in taijutsu.

Both of them drew kunai and clashed in a flurry of blows. Jonin in the Warring States Period still focused primarily on taijutsu. In an instant, the two figures on the street became streaks of shadow, weaving past each other as the sharp clinks of their kunai rang out.

The sounds of punches, kicks, and weapons never ceased. Their figures blurred together, and chakra bursts cracked nonstop. They fought from the eastern end of the street to the western, then from the street to the roof of a tavern. They clashed everywhere.

Shin watched them closely, his Three Tomoe active, taking in every movement.

"Someone from the Chiba Clan?" Shin murmured. He had already noticed the leaf emblem on the front of the young man's blue robe. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the Chiba Clan's crest.

Shin didn't know much about the Chiba Clan. They hadn't appeared in the original story, either. He only knew that their territory lay south of the Uchiha Clan's, and that the clan was said to be fairly powerful. Apparently, more than twenty years ago, they had taken advantage of the Uchiha and Senju fighting to launch a sneak attack on the Uchiha. After they were defeated, they had spent their time recuperating and rarely involved themselves in the Ninja World.

"Is he one of the new generation, sent out to gain experience?"

Shin wondered as he watched. He had no intention of interfering. The two of them were in the thick of it, after all. If he barged in, they might turn on him, and it wouldn't be worth the trouble. He might as well enjoy a live-action Hokage show.

Before long, one of the fighters suddenly flew backward and landed on the roof of a house.

It was the Blood Ninja!

"Don't think you can buy time! Die!" Chiba Tengfei shouted. His hands moved so fast as he formed seals that they left afterimages. His forbidden technique would last only an hour, so he wanted to end the fight quickly. If he couldn't kill his opponent soon, he would become helpless prey.

"Secret Technique: Chiba Explosive Flame Blast!"

The seals were complete. Powerful chakra gathered in front of him, and anyone could tell that this attack would be extraordinary—its power was already close to that of an S-Rank ninjutsu.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Ocean!"

The Blood Ninja sneered. He finished his hand seals before his opponent and pressed both hands down. The ground beneath Chiba Tengfei instantly turned into a sea of mud.

Chiba Tengfei's feet slipped, and he fell into it. The secret technique he had just completed exploded with a roar, veering off course and shooting into the sky. After a flash of dazzling light, it vanished beyond the horizon.

"You know Earth Style?" Chiba Tengfei cried, his face full of disbelief.

Shin also glanced at the Blood Ninja in surprise. There weren't all that many people in the Land of Fire who could use Earth Style, but they weren't exactly rare, either. For a famous Jonin like the Blood Ninja, there was no reason for the intelligence reports to have missed that he knew Earth Style—unless he had only learned it recently.

"Kid, sometimes intelligence gets you killed. Blood Secret Technique: Blood Evil Sword!"

The Blood Ninja gave a sinister grin and swept his hands out. Blood-red chakra coalesced into two long swords in midair, which shot toward Chiba Tengfei in the mud pit.

"Damn it." Chiba Tengfei struggled twice, but when he saw he couldn't escape the mud, he ignored the strain on his body and used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the two swords, reappearing nearby.

"Just waiting for you to come out. Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome!"

A ring of earthen walls sprang up where Chiba Tengfei landed, forming a domed prison around him. Attacks thudded from inside as he struck at the walls, but chakra coated the other side. Even when he managed to break through, the wall immediately repaired itself. Chiba Tengfei had no way out.

"Too green!" the Blood Ninja sneered. He had predicted that his opponent would use the Body Flicker Technique to dodge, and had prepared the Earth Style trap in advance. All he had to do was wait for the forbidden technique to wear off; then his opponent would be helpless and at his mercy.

After trapping the Chiba Clan's boy, he glanced toward Shin on the street. He had meant to take the chance to kill the Special Jonin while he was at it, but when he saw the Three Tomoe in Shin's eyes and the Gunbai crest on his back, his heart gave an involuntary jolt.

"An Uchiha Clan brat. He's just watching our fight and hasn't interfered, so he's probably passing through. If he doesn't attack me, there's no need to bother with him. Better not provoke those lunatics from the Uchiha Clan if I can help it." The Blood Ninja didn't even consider that Shin might have been sent to kill him. After all, a Special Jonin daring to hunt him down was laughable—it would be tantamount to asking for death.

He kept track of the time. An hour had passed since Chiba Tengfei used his forbidden technique, and the sounds of struggle inside had stopped. The Blood Ninja withdrew the earthen wall and, just as expected, found his opponent lying motionless on the ground. Only his faint breathing proved he was still alive.

"Kid, let's see you survive this. Blood Sword!" The Blood Ninja quickly formed the seals. A short chakra sword took shape and plunged toward Chiba Tengfei, who could no longer move. A smile tugged at the Blood Ninja's lips.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a huge fireball appeared in midair and shattered the Blood Sword before it could reach Chiba Tengfei. A child of about five calmly walked up to him.

"Brat, you're asking for death!" the Blood Ninja snarled through clenched teeth. He'd been kind enough to spare the kid, yet the fool had stuck his nose into the fight. Did he really think the Blood Ninja wouldn't dare kill him?

"Th... thank you!" Chiba Tengfei's entire body was limp, his insides in turmoil. He had thought he was doomed, but now the child who had been watching from the sidelines had saved him. Deeply moved, he forced out his thanks.

Whoosh!

To Chiba Tengfei's horror, a kunai pierced his chest. He couldn't understand what had happened. Wasn't this child here to save him? If not, why bother intervening? What difference did it make whether he died at the Blood Ninja's hands or this child's?

"No need to thank me. I'm just here to steal the kill."

"Ding! Killed a Chiba Clan Jonin. Reward: 5,000 points!"