"Heh heh, what an interesting little brat. You're pretty strong, just a little stupid. I really feel sorry for your teammates, dying for nothing."
Faced with the boy's astonishing strength, Heichen remained calm and kept provoking him.
Scarface and the blond man beside Heichen were just as skilled at it, constantly taunting the boy.
"You're right. A brat who does nothing but cause trouble for his teammates—I don't know how you've managed to survive this long. It must be painful to have you as a partner."
The already furious boy grew even angrier, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"Ah—I'll kill you!"
As an onlooker, Chiba could see clearly. The boy seemed to have the advantage, but in truth, Heichen and the others probably hadn't used their full strength.
They might be waiting for the boy to run out of stamina or leave himself open, planning to toy with him like a cat with a mouse before killing him.
On the other side of the battlefield, Shadow's fight with two other Konoha Ninja was almost a replay of this one.
The two kept attacking Shadow, yet he had them firmly on the back foot.
There was a difference, though.
From the several new wounds on the two Konoha Ninja and the cold sweat dripping from them, Chiba could tell they were genuinely under pressure.
Suddenly, the situation changed. Incredibly, Shadow sped up again. Before, Chiba could barely catch sight of his shadow when the fighters paused. Now he couldn't see a thing.
"Thud—"
A clear, muffled sound rang through the air, and the fight came to a halt.
"Heh. You're really weak."
With a disdainful laugh, Shadow yanked his right hand out of a Konoha Ninja's chest, pulling out a still-beating heart.
The heartless Konoha Ninja seemed unable to believe what had happened. He tried to say something in a daze, but no words came out.
"Thud!"
As the body hit the ground, Shadow turned to look at the last Konoha Ninja. A cruel smile curled his lips.
"You're next."
Chiba hadn't yet realized what had happened, and neither had the remaining Konoha Ninja, who stood staring blankly at his comrade's corpse, at a loss.
"Thud—"
Another muffled sound rang out. The Konoha Ninja met the same fate, his heart pierced.
From where Chiba stood, he could even see the still-beating heart in Shadow's hand, protruding from the man's back, and the savage grin on Shadow's face.
So this is how ninja fight? The moment they meet, it's a matter of life and death.
But before Chiba could think any further, the situation on the battlefield changed again.
The Konoha Ninja, who had seemed utterly helpless, suddenly lifted his head and flashed an equally savage grin.
"Of course I know I'm no match for you. The speed difference between us is too great, so..."
A series of strange squeaks came from inside the Konoha Ninja's body.
"So I chose this method!"
Shadow seemed to realize something was wrong and hurriedly tried to pull his hand free, only to find it stuck fast to the man's body.
"Heh heh. It's no use. You should know I'm from the Spider Clan. With this kind of stickiness, you won't be able to pull free anytime soon."
Shadow frowned, but didn't panic. He raised his left hand and slashed again.
Although Shadow's strike smashed through half the Konoha Ninja's chest, he still couldn't break free.
"Heh heh. I told you, it's no use."
As he spoke, the Konoha Ninja's face began to swell in a bizarre way.
"Ha ha ha ha! Ah ha ha ha! Come with me! To hell!"
"Pfft—"
A large mass of some unknown substance sprayed from the Konoha Ninja's mouth, hitting Shadow square in the face.
Shadow had no time to react. Half his body, from his head down to his chest, was corroded, and he stood frozen in place.
The two stood face to face in that strange position, making no sound. It was a long while before Chiba realized that they... were really dead.
This... this...
Chiba couldn't put his astonishment into words. Everything before him was beyond his imagination. Using oneself as bait, delivering a decisive kill and then turning the tables—all in an instant.
Compared to what he'd seen in the anime in his previous life—fights that dragged on for ages or even days without a winner, endless talking, and fighters who just wouldn't die—this was probably what a real battle between ninja looked like.
All sorts of complicated feelings churned in Chiba's heart. Even he couldn't say exactly what he was feeling. Somewhere deep down, he was even a little excited.
"Damn it, Shadow's an idiot. How could he fall for such a simple trap so easily?"
Heichen's expression was ugly. They'd seemed certain to win, but somehow they'd lost one of their men. It infuriated him.
"Forget it. He's dead. What's done is done."
With Shadow already dead, there was nothing more Heichen could say.
Pointing at the Konoha boy before him, Heichen ordered, "It's time. Finish him off quickly."
Scarface and the blond man immediately moved to the boy's flanks and started speeding up.
But just then, the boy lifted his head slightly, his face utterly emotionless.
"You're right. It's time."
Seeing the anger and murderous intent suddenly vanish from the boy's face, Heichen felt an inexplicable chill.
"Fall back—"
Before he could finish, the boy had already formed hand seals and instantly performed a jutsu.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Before Scar and the blond man could react to the sudden change, the boy emerged from the white mist with two Shadow Clones.
"Konoha Secret Technique: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
"Shhk, shhk—"
A dazzling flurry of blades flashed, followed by the unmistakable sound of steel biting into flesh.
In an instant, the blond man was hacked into several pieces, while Scar had both legs severed and his stomach slashed open. They crumpled to the ground together.
Heichen's face turned terribly grim, his eyes filled with wariness.
"You... You were pretending all along."
The boy watched Heichen, breathing slightly hard, his face still cold. "I wasn't pretending the whole time. My anger was real. I've never wanted to kill anyone so badly. But I also knew that to kill you, I had to stay calm."
Heichen raised an eyebrow, his expression growing even more solemn.
"So I underestimated you."
Chiba, watching from a distance, still hadn't processed what had happened. What was going on? How had the boy suddenly turned the tables and killed two more men?
The situation had changed far too quickly. In less than three minutes, only two men remained from the two intact squads.
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