Powerless, Helpless.

"Listen here, brat. The Black Wind Stronghold is conducting business. If you want to keep your life, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!" The one-eyed bandit blocking the path had initially ignored the two children, but after hearing the fat merchant, he took a closer look. Noticing the ninja tool pouches at their waists, his expression darkened as he barked the threat.

Xian Yu narrowed his eyes at the man's arrogance.

This so-called Black Wind Stronghold didn't seem simple; if they were just a few dozen common bandits and drifters, the Huaqi Caravan wouldn't be this wary.

After all, the Huaqi Caravan had hired a genin from Amegakure—a man in his thirties they had seen earlier—and the caravan was also guarded by thirty-six samurai. While such force wasn't overwhelming, it was more than enough to easily wipe out a few dozen common highwaymen.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

While Xian Yu was deep in thought, seven or eight beams of wind-natured light suddenly whistled past him. The five bandits blocking the path were knocked to the ground; three were struck in the heart, head, or throat and were clearly beyond saving, while the other two were left heavily wounded and unconscious.

It was Shinozaki Ayumi who had struck!

Bandits slaughtering a village—how hauntingly familiar. Her own village had been destroyed by bandits, and her parents had died on that very day!

"Fine... I suppose we go all out. Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere." Seeing this, Xian Yu stopped overthinking. He formed hand seals rapidly, and seven or eight beams of light erupted from his mouth. Like guided missiles, they surged toward the group of bandits who had their backs turned to them. Instantly, bandits were sent flying with shattered arms or legs, and those unlucky enough to take a direct hit to the chest had their ribcages collapse, leaving them dead on the spot.

Although Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere was only a C-rank jutsu, it was one of Xian Yu's favorites and the one he had mastered most thoroughly.

To Xian Yu, the Vacuum Sphere was like a machine gun. If he wasted a bit more chakra to control it after release, he could even slightly adjust the trajectory in mid-air. It was low-cost, effective for crowd control, and could also be used to bombard a single target. It was simply too practical.

After firing the Vacuum Sphere, Xian Yu didn't wait to check the results. He sprinted toward the clash between the villagers and the bandits, reaching into his tool pouch to grab ten shuriken. With a flick of his wrists, the lethal projectiles whistled toward the bandit ranks.

Shinozaki Ayumi had beaten him to it, scattering dozens of senbon that riddled several unlucky bandits with holes, a gruesome sight to behold... She was now charging into the fray, wielding a kunai in each hand enhanced with the cutting power of Wind Style.

"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"..."

Xian Yu ignored the stream of system notifications. Grabbing a kunai in each hand, he unleashed the Shimura clan's secret technique: "Wind Style: Kunai."

He infused the standard kunai with wind-natured chakra to drastically increase their sharpness.

Kunai infused with wind-natured chakra were incredibly sharp, slicing through stone as if it were tofu.

"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed, Killing Points +1"
"..."

As Xian Yu and Shinozaki Ayumi suddenly tore into the battle, the bandits, who had previously held the upper hand, suffered over fifty percent casualties in just a few minutes.

The bandits finally reacted. At a whistle from a lookout stationed nearby, a dozen more bandits emerged from the surrounding woods.

It turned out that while the bandits were raiding Yangxi Village, they had deployed plenty of eyes in the surrounding area.

Seeing the unexpected turn of events, they began gathering everyone to join the fight.

At the same time, four or five of the leaders who had been slaughtering villagers stopped their assault. They quietly slipped out of the skirmish, moving stealthily toward their new target: Shinozaki Ayumi, who had pushed too deep into the enemy lines.

"Ayumi! Watch out!" Xian Yu shouted as he noticed them, sprinting toward her. They were only twenty meters apart; at his speed, he would reach her quickly.

Suddenly, more than thirty additional bandits swarmed onto the field, and the two of them were plunged into a tight encirclement!

Xian Yu gripped his wind-infused kunai and sliced a bandit in half at the waist; blood and viscera splattered all over him.

He looked up, only to see a sight that filled him with absolute horror!

Four bandit leaders had driven their blades through Shinozaki Ayumi's body! The four raised swords held her small frame a meter off the ground, the tips protruding from her back, dripping with blood!

"NO!!! Xiaoqi! Come out! Kill! Kill! Kill them all!"

Xian Yu roared like a madman. Bai Xiaoqi burst from his pocket, instantly shifting into combat mode. Its body expanded to three meters long, like an adult elephant, and its three tails towered three and a half meters high, the ground sinking slightly under its weight as it landed.

"Quick! Xiaoqi! Go save Ayumi!" Xian Yu stared at the shocking scene ten meters away, clinging to a shred of hope.

I have secret medicinal salves, I have the best healing medicine. There's still a chance, there's still a chance to save her.

His heart felt as if it were being torn apart; the rage and sorrow building in his chest made it hard to breathe.

His throat felt blocked, burning with a tearing pain!

But he had no time for grief! Time was of the essence. As long as he could save Ayumi, no matter how severe the wounds, as long as she stayed alive, the wonders of the Treasure Chest System would eventually restore her if he just had time!

A faint sense of dread gnawed at him.

The four bandits pulled out their long swords, and Shinozaki Ayumi fell to the ground like a broken doll, her body still twitching faintly.

Seeing this, Xian Yu didn't know what he was feeling. Even a dog would earn affection after two years, let alone a sweet, considerate little girl who had washed his clothes, cooked his meals, and even helped him brush his teeth and wash his face with such meticulous care!

Time seemed to freeze; the moment stretched on forever... Enough, enough... stop hurting her. The wounds were severe, but as long as she had a breath left, he had his secret heart-saving pills, his secret salves, his secret blood-replenishing pills. There had to be a chance...

But just then, as if the heavens were mocking him, his worst fear came to pass. One of the bandit leaders, a man with three scars on his face, sneered at him and raised his long sword to decapitate Shinozaki Ayumi!

"NO!!! Xiaoqi! Bai Xiaoqi! Hurry and save Ayumi!" Xian Yu screamed at the Three-Tailed Fox, which had remained motionless after landing!

The massive head of the Three-Tailed Fox turned toward him, its beastly eyes glinting with malice. "I've long been sick of you as a master, always barking orders at me. You want to save someone? Beg me. Get on your knees and beg me!"