Overwhelming Force

On the open sea, a merchant ship sails ahead, and behind it, another ship is rapidly approaching.

On the merchant ship, everyone followed Taiichi's finger and saw the ship, but it was too far away to notice anything unusual.

After all, this ocean doesn't belong to anyone; there's no reason why you can sail here while others can't.

Swim was an experienced captain after all. Although he couldn't see the ships in the distance clearly, he immediately realized the problem by estimating the angle and the sea breeze.

The opponent's speed was clearly abnormal, at least twice their own.

"Ethan, go up to the lookout tower and look back."

Swim pointed at the ships in the distance and shouted at a crew member under the mast.

The commotion alerted all the crew members, who watched as Ethan quickly climbed onto the lookout tower, picked up binoculars, and began observing the area behind them.

In the footage, on the distant ship, dozens of menacing-looking men are staring at their vessel, pointing and gesturing like a pack of wolves eyeing their prey, occasionally laughing wildly to the sky.

On the opposite ship.

"Boss, that merchant ship should have noticed something's wrong; their lookout is watching us."

"Oh, that level of vigilance is really too low."

The scarred giant at the head of the group looked utterly disdainful. He wore Mist Village Headband, but a deep scratch ran across its Headband.

"Men, raise the flag! Jiro, speed things up!"

"Okay, boss."

It turned out that the guy named Jiro was also a ninja. He formed hand Hand Seals and slapped his palm onto the deck.

Water Style: Wave Surge Technique.

The seawater seemed to be under control, surging rapidly around the ship and forming a strong current that propelled the ship to gradually accelerate.

At the same time, a black skull and crossbones flag slowly rose from the mast, revealing the group's identity as pirates.

On the ship where Taiichi was.

When Ethan saw the rising skull and crossbones flag, a piercing scream echoed through the sky.

"Pirates! Pirates are attacking!"

Swim's face was also somewhat pale, but he managed to remain calm, issuing commands one after another.

The initially flustered crew quickly regained their composure under clear instructions.

Some adjusted their sails and rudders to increase speed, while others picked up their weapons and prepared for battle.

Seeing that his crew had all sprung into action, Swim then turned his attention to the ninja he had hired.

"Yudo, it's up to you now."

"Don't worry, Captain Swim, this is our duty."

Having said that, he said no more and led his three men to the stern of the ship, where they could observe the enemy's movements more clearly.

But as she left, the female ninja didn't forget to glare fiercely at Taiichi, her expression clearly saying, "I'll settle the score with you later."

"Songtao, don't mind it. Ninjas have all sorts of strange tempers. You'll get used to it."

Before leaving, Swim comforted Taiichi, "You should hurry back to your cabin too; there will be a battle on deck later, and it's very dangerous."

Without waiting for Taiichi's reply, he quickly left to organize the crew to prepare for battle.

Taiichi's lips twitched. He was a ninja too, wasn't he? Was his temper also strange?

With this delay, the enemy ship, having accelerated again, has caught up.

The two boats were moving side by side, and the other boat was clearly smaller, making it a faster boat more suitable for high-speed travel.

Through his perception, Taiichi could clearly see that two people on the pirate ship were emitting intense Chakra fluctuations.

One was using Wind Style to billow the sails, and the other was using Water Style to control the water flow; no wonder they were moving so fast.

The leader of this group of ninjas was a rogue Rogue Ninja from Mist Village.

Taiichi looked at his four ninjas with a hint of pity.

These days, the ninjas from the great ninja villages are generally stronger than these rogue ninjas, let alone Rogue Ninja who can survive the relentless pursuit of the Anbu from various villages.

Their skills are all top-notch.

Sure enough, after a brief exchange of insults, the two sides quickly turned to physical violence.

A Water Dragon rose up near the enemy ship, charging towards them with terrifying force.

However, two Fireball met the attack head-on.

A tremendous roar resounded as the Fireball and the Water Dragon perished together.

However, Taiichi, who was watching from behind, frowned deeply.

Fire Style! They're actually using Fire Style on the open sea!

Even if you don't have Water Style, Wind Style and Lightning Style will do. If you want to make a living at sea, you can't possibly not know any of these three Ninjutsu, right?

His guess was right; in the following exchanges of Ninjutsu, they really only had Fire Style to deal with the enemy.

Taiichi exclaimed in disbelief, "Wow, there really are people who aren't afraid of death, daring to take on a mission at sea just because they know Fire Style!"

The opposing side clearly saw through the situation, and after a burst of frenzied laughter, five ninjas immediately rushed towards them, Water Walking.

And the Mist Village Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure that Taiichi had seen was among them.

Swim then realized the gap between the two sides, not only in individual strength but also in the sheer number of ninjas.

"Archers, fire! We can't let the enemy ninjas board the ship!"

Immediately, a sparse barrage of arrows shot towards the ninjas traveling on the sea.

But such attacks pose little threat to agile ninjas.

Without even using Ninjutsu, they simply dodged the incoming arrows with a few simple dodges.

As they approached, they saw that the leading ninja had already completed the Hand Seals, and the seawater beneath their feet surged violently, propelling them rapidly upwards.

Several Kunai were thrown, briefly forcing back four of their own ninjas, and the five pirates successfully boarded the ship.

"Hey girls, weren't you all so arrogant just now?"

The pirate leader strode forward with an air of ruthlessness, approaching the group step by step.

Behind him, four ninjas formed a fan shape, forcing everyone back from the stern to the bow of the ship.

Further on, five grappling hooks spanned the distance between the two ships, catching on the hull of the merchant ship, and the remaining pirates were climbing up the ropes towards them.

"There are still ninjas on their ship. We can't wait for them all to arrive, or we'll have no chance at all."

Knowing that there was no time to lose, the four-man Captain named Yudo led the charge towards the enemy leader.

The remaining three did not hesitate and grabbed their weapons, following closely behind their Captain.

Unfortunately, while their courage is commendable, their skills are lacking.

None of the pirates' men moved; the leader alone held the four men firmly in check.

And yet, they still have the leisure to make sarcastic remarks.

"This girl is quite pretty, it's a waste to kill her. Why don't you surrender and keep me company?"

"You bastard."

One of them mustered his remaining strength and charged again, only to be met with a kick to the chest, sending him flying straight to Taiichi's feet.

Stepping over the unfortunate fellow at his feet, Taiichi also headed towards the battlefield. He had initially thought that these four guys could at least cause some damage to the opposing side, but in the end, he had overestimated these rogue ninjas.

"Brother Songtao, what are you doing? Come back right now!"

The Swim people are alright; they're still thinking of Taiichi at a time like this. It's just that their judgment in choosing guards is a bit poor.

Taiichi didn't turn around, but waved his hand.

"Swim, you're a good guy. I'll take care of these pirates for you. I wasn't joking when I said I could cultivate."

Upon hearing Taiichi's words, Swim froze, his hand raised in mid-air, and a glimmer of hope rekindled in his previously despairing eyes.

Taiichi's movements naturally attracted the attention of the pirate leader, who stared intently at Taiichi as he slowly approached.

He's not very old, probably only in his teens, a little rascal—actually only twelve.

Neatly dressed, with smooth skin, he looked like someone who had lived a life of luxury—this was the result of extensive Yang Release cultivation.

Their steps were unsteady, and their entire bodies were full of openings—this indicated a significant difference in their abilities.

In summary...

"Are people willing to play the hero these days?"

The pirate leader arrogantly mocked, kicking one person away, then elbowing another away, and finally throwing the female ninja like a Taiichi.

Seeing the human punching bag flying towards him, Taiichi, who was not exactly a kind-hearted saint, knew that this woman had just been cursing him.

Without even raising his hand, he merely shifted slightly to dodge the "sandbag" attack, only to face the pirate leader who was right behind him.

Taiichi's actions were truly unexpected by the pirate leader. He had thought Taiichi would catch the female ninja, and he had even planned out a series of subsequent attacks.

But Taiichi didn't play by his rules, which made his subsequent actions disjointed.

However, who he was facing meant that even this slight mistake was a huge flaw in Taiichi.

When faced with an opening, Taiichi's fists always respond.

With a "bang".

The retreat is even faster than the arrival.

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, the pirate leader retreated to his men's side before stumbling and falling to the ground.

"Damn it, this is a tough one. All of you, attack!"

Compared to the four guards who were still hesitant, worried that Ninjutsu might damage the ship, the pirates had no hesitation whatsoever.

Two pirate henchmen rushed forward, while two others immediately formed hand seals on the spot.

Their teamwork was excellent, but unfortunately...

Taiichi Body Flicker appeared in front of the charging ninja, delivering a Chakra Enhanced Strength Fist with his right hand followed by a Heaven-Piercing Kick.

The two men were sent flying like cannonballs, the cracking sounds of their bones sending chills down everyone's spines, their blood spraying into the air like a mist.

Even before they landed, everyone knew that these two were doomed.

All of this can be accomplished in the blink of an eye.

Taiyi instantly rose again, while the two ninjas behind him had not yet completed their hand seals.

The same operation, the same process, the sound of bones cracking and blood mist filling the air—the two followed in their Senior's footsteps, splashing two waves on the sea.

The entire merchant ship fell into an eerie silence. The contrast between before and after was too great, and neither the pirates nor Swim and his men could accept it for a while.

"Run!"

It's unclear which clever fellow was the first to wake up, but with a shout, the pirates who had already climbed over turned around and ran back, crying and screaming, wishing they had three legs.

They didn't use the ropes; they simply jumped into the sea.

Those still crawling on the ropes, those further away wanted to climb back onto the pirate ship, while those closer simply let go and began to freefall.

The pirates, who had been so aggressive, scattered like birds and beasts, and only then did the merchant ship realize what was happening.

Taiichi toward the pirate leader, who was still struggling to get up, startling the pirate leader so much that he kicked his legs and retreated.

"Hero, spare me! I have lots of money, you can have it all."

"Yeah?"

Taiichi's drawn-out melody brought a glimmer of hope to the pirate leader.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe it."

A Short Sword suddenly appeared in his hand, and with a gentle thrust, it ended his life.

With so much money, who would want to be a pirate? Do they really think the story of the Pirate King is true?

"Brother Songtao, what should we do with those pirates?"

Swim was quite bold; at this moment, he was the first to approach Taiichi, his face full of excitement, showing no sign of being frightened by Taiichi's actions.

Taiichi once again thought highly of him; aside from his poor judgment in choosing guards, he was otherwise quite good.

"Of course, we must eradicate evil completely."

He approached the ship, watched the pirate ship receding into the distance, and Hand Seals.

Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.

Bright Gold sea of fire erupted from Taiichi, spreading across the sea towards the pirate ship.

The scorching heat instantly boiled the seawater along the way, sending steam billowing up and obscuring the view.

As Taiichi continued to increase his power, the Bright Gold flames continued to change, eventually transforming into platinum flames that ignited the pirate ship opposite.

There were still ninjas struggling on the pirate ship, occasionally unleashing a Water Style, but the disparity in strength was too great. These Water Style were like adding fuel to the fire, only hastening their demise.

In less than a minute, the flames went out. There was no pirate ship left at sea, only scattered charred remains floating on the surface.

The pirate ship, along with the pirates who had fallen into the water, were all reduced to ashes by this Fire Style.

This is the domineering nature of Taiichi's Fire Style now; a level 14 Fire Style is no joke.

This time, however, the merchant ship fell silent once again.

If they could understand Taiichi's methods in fighting the pirates, then this Fire Style truly exceeded their comprehension.

This is the open sea! How could a human possibly burn a pirate ship to ashes using only Fire Style?

Taiichi turned around and took a step back. The four guards and crew members who had just approached couldn't help but take a step back. It was too frightening.

"Lord Songtao is truly... worthy of admiration!"

It was Swim again who offered a subtle compliment, immediately easing the tension. The crew members quickly realized what was happening and showered him with flattery.

"Alright, Swim, let's get going and set sail. Don't let this little thing delay our journey."

"Yes, yes." Swim nodded quickly, then shouted to the crew, "Men, full sails, full speed ahead!"

Taiichi then came to the bow of the ship and sat cross-legged.

This time, however, no one dared to question whether he was actually cultivating.

While Taiichi was still adrift at sea, Konoha received another urgent message from Tsunade.

Two days ago, Mist Village's forces finally returned to the Land of Fire and clashed again with Tsunade stationed on the East Coast.

This time, however, not only was Taiichi absent from Tsunade's side, but many skilled ninjas from various Ninja Clan also left.

With its strength greatly diminished, the East Front could only manage a stalemate with Mist Village. The two sides were locked in a tug-of-war near the Coastline, neither able to gain the upper hand for the time being.

Taiichi hid in a corner of the office, watching the Hokage and two Advisor looking worried.

The various Ninja Clan had only recently withdrawn, so it wouldn't be appropriate to send them back to the front lines now.

After all, those who returned were all high-ranking members of their respective Ninja Clan, either clan leaders or elders, not ordinary Ninja Clan members.

"Isn't Taiichi still in the village?"

Utatane Koharu clearly indicates that she was unaware that Taiichi had become Anbu.

"No, Taiichi now—"

"Cough~ cough~ cough~"

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