"Kid, the Black Wind Stronghold is conducting business. If you want to live, mind your own business!" One of the bandits blocking the road—a one-eyed man—hadn't paid the two little kids any attention at all. But after hearing the fat merchant's words, he gave them a closer look and noticed the ninja tool pouches at their waists. His expression darkened, and he shouted at them.
Seeing how arrogant the other man was, Xian Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
This so-called Black Wind Stronghold didn't seem ordinary. If they were just a few dozen common bandits and outlaws, the Huaqi Caravan wouldn't be so wary of them.
After all, the Huaqi Caravan had hired a Genin from Amegakure. Xian Yu had seen him earlier: a man in his thirties. The caravan also had thirty-six warriors escorting it. That wasn't an especially powerful force, but wiping out a few dozen ordinary highwaymen would have been easy.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere."
While Xian Yu was thinking, seven or eight bursts of wind chakra suddenly shot past him. The five bandits blocking the road were knocked to the ground. Three had been struck in the heart, head, or throat—vital spots that left them unlikely to survive. The other two were badly wounded and unconscious.
Shinozaki Ayumi had struck!
Bandits slaughtering a village—how painfully familiar! Her own village had once been destroyed by bandits, and her parents had died that day!
"All right... guess we have to jump in." Seeing this, Xian Yu stopped thinking and quickly formed Hand Seals. Seven or eight bursts of chakra shot from his mouth, homing in on the bandits fighting with their backs to him and the others. Some were struck in the arms and had them broken; others had their legs broken. One unlucky bandit took a hit to the chest, which caved in. He clearly wasn't going to survive.
Though Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was only a C-rank ninjutsu, Xian Yu loved it. It was the jutsu he had mastered best so far.
To Xian Yu, Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was like a machine gun firing in a sweep. If he spent a little extra chakra to control it after launching, he could even make fine adjustments to its direction in midair. It didn't consume much chakra, could attack multiple targets at once, or bombard a single target. It was incredibly practical.
After launching a Vacuum Sphere, Xian Yu didn't even check the results. He ran toward the villagers and bandits fighting nearby while reaching into his ninja tool pouch. Ten shuriken spread across his hands. He flicked both wrists, and the ten deadly shuriken shot toward the bandits.
Shinozaki Ayumi had scattered dozens of senbon ahead of him, leaving several unlucky bandits riddled from head to toe. It was gruesome to look at... Now she was in the middle of the bandits, wielding a kunai in each hand, both imbued with Wind Release's cutting power.
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"..."
A string of system notifications rang out, but Xian Yu had no time to pay attention. Gripping a kunai in each hand, he used the Shimura clan's secret technique, "Wind Release: Kunai."
He infused ordinary kunai with wind-natured chakra to make them sharper.
Kunai infused with wind-natured chakra were incredibly sharp. They could slice through stone as easily as tofu.
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"Bandit killed. Killing Points +1"
"..."
With Xian Yu and Shinozaki Ayumi suddenly charging into the fray, the bandits, who had been enjoying a clear advantage, lost more than half their number in just a few minutes.
By then, the bandits had reacted. At a signal whistle from one of the men keeping watch nearby, another dozen or so bandits gradually emerged from the woods along the edge of the village.
It turned out that when the bandits attacked Yangxi Village, they had also stationed plenty of lookouts in the area.
Now that an unexpected development had arisen, they began summoning everyone to join the fight.
At the same time, four or five men who seemed to be junior leaders had charged among the villagers and slaughtered them. They stopped attacking and slowly withdrew from that side of the battlefield. At some point, they had quietly made their way over, targeting Shinozaki Ayumi, who had pushed deep into enemy territory and was fighting at the very front!
"Ayumi! Watch out!" Xian Yu shouted when he noticed, charging toward her. They were only about twenty meters apart, and at his speed, he could reach her quickly.
At some point, another thirty or so bandits suddenly poured into the fight. The two of them were surrounded on all sides!
With a Wind Release kunai in hand, Xian Yu sliced the bandit blocking his way in half at the waist. Blood, guts, and intestines splattered all over him.
He looked up—and saw a sight that filled him with utter horror!
The swords held by four bandit leaders had pierced Shinozaki Ayumi's body! The four raised blades lifted her tiny body a full meter off the ground, their tips protruding through her, slick with blood!
"No!!! Xiao Qi! Come out! Kill! Kill! Kill them all!"
Xian Yu roared like a madman. Bai Xiaoqi sprang from his pocket and instantly shifted into battle mode. His body stretched more than three meters long, like a full-grown elephant, while his three tails rose three and a half meters into the air. The ground sank slightly beneath him when he landed.
"Quick! Xiao Qi! Go save Ayumi!" Looking at the horrifying sight ten-odd meters away, Xian Yu still clung to a shred of hope.
I have Secret Golden Wound Medicine. I have the best healing medicine. There's still time. I can still save her.
It felt as if his heart had been torn apart. Anger and grief clogged his chest, nearly stopping his breath.
Something seemed to be stuck in his throat, and it hurt as if it were tearing apart!
But he had no time to grieve right now! Every second counted. As long as he could save Ayumi, even if she was badly injured, he only needed to keep her alive. Given time, the Treasure Chest System's miraculous powers could restore her!
Still, he couldn't help worrying.
The four bandits pulled their swords free, and Shinozaki Ayumi dropped to the ground like a broken doll, her body still twitching faintly.
Seeing this, Xian Yu couldn't even tell what he was feeling. Even if it were a dog, he would have grown attached after spending so much time together. And Ayumi was a sweet, well-behaved girl who had washed his clothes and cooked for him, even helped him brush his teeth and wash his face—taking care of him in every way for two whole years!
Time seemed to freeze. The moment stretched on and on... Enough, enough... Don't hurt her anymore. The injuries were severe, but as long as she was still breathing, he had Secret Heart-Saving Pills, Secret Golden Wound Medicine, and Secret Blood-Replenishing Pills. There was always a chance...
But just then, as if the heavens were playing a cruel joke on him, the thing he feared and dreaded most happened. One of the bandit leaders, a man with three scars on his face, grinned at him, then raised his sword to hack at Shinozaki Ayumi's neck!
"No!!! Xiao Qi! Bai Xiaoqi! Hurry and save Ayumi!" Xian Yu roared at Bai Xiaoqi, the Three-Tailed Fox, who had landed and stood motionless.
The Three-Tailed Fox turned his massive head. A fierce gleam shone in his beastly eyes. "I'm sick of you being my master. You're always ordering me around. Want me to save someone? Beg me. Get down on your knees and beg!"
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