Lecherous Rogue

"Kill them," the Anbu Ninja in the lead suddenly said.

Gekko Hayate's smile froze. Even Uzuki Yugao, standing behind him, was no exception.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Two Root Division ninjas moved in an instant.

Their figures blurred, and they appeared right in front of Gekko Hayate.

In their eyes, taking care of two mere Chunin with flimsy skills would be a piece of cake.

The sudden attack made Gekko Hayate stiffen.

As he watched the two short blades rapidly grow larger in his pupils, he made a fatal mistake on the battlefield.

He lost focus!

A trace of amusement flickered deep in the eyes of the two Root Division ninjas who had attacked.

Half a day earlier, they had been stationed at a secret Root Division outpost dozens of miles away.

After receiving orders from Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune to kill all the Konoha Ninja, they had hurried over.

Before they even reached the checkpoint outpost, they ran into two rookies.

They weren't about to pass up the chance to have some fun picking on rookies.

"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"

A clear shout rang out as a graceful figure suddenly darted forward, launching an attack from behind Gekko Hayate before the others could strike.

The Ninja Blade in her hand gave off a faint chakra pulse.

In the next instant, it split into three, surging toward the two Anbu Ninja.'

The sudden attack clearly caught the two Anbu Ninja off guard.

They had, of course, heard of the Konoha Style Swordplay used by Gekko Kuro Yoru in Konoha.

Faced with the illusory attack, which concealed a deadly threat, they had no time to think. They hurriedly pulled back, putting some distance between themselves and their attackers.

Seeing this, Uzuki Yugao pulled Gekko Hayate behind her and flung several Shuriken with her other hand.

"Hayate, if you get the chance, run. If you reach the checkpoint and call for help, we might still be saved."

"Run by myself?"

Gekko Hayate froze. "How can I leave you behind?"

"If we die, we die together!"

Uzuki Yugao's expression shifted as she looked at Gekko Hayate's resolute face. A touch of warmth rose in her heart.

In a life-or-death situation like this, someone who could still say something like that was a true friend in adversity.

But just as the thought crossed her mind, a large hand suddenly shot up from underground.

"Hayate, watch your feet!" Uzuki Yugao cried out, leaping into the air.

Only then did she realize that the two Anbu Ninja's attack had been a feint. Their squad leader had already found an opening, burrowed underground, and prepared to strike by surprise.

To Uzuki Yugao's dismay, Gekko Hayate still stood rooted to the spot, looking stunned and unsure what to do.

He hadn't noticed his opponent in the first place, and even with Uzuki Yugao's warning, he was already a step behind.

Now he stood there like a fool, with no chance of escaping.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

The Anbu Ninja grabbed Gekko Hayate by the ankle.

The ground around them rippled and churned like flowing water.

Gekko Hayate snapped out of his daze and tried to break free, but he was already being dragged into the earth.

A moment later, as the chakra faded, only his head remained aboveground.

The sudden turn of events made Uzuki Yugao's face pale.

She had never imagined that Gekko Hayate would be captured after just one exchange on the battlefield.

There were seven of them, while she was alone. The only way to save Gekko Hayate was to flee to the outpost and call for help.

"Little girl, this isn't the time to lose focus," a mocking voice suddenly called out.

Two ninjas whipped their hands back, sending a pair of Shuriken curving toward her.

Specially made cords were attached to the Kunai. Even the slightest mistake could leave her bound fast.

But there was no way for Uzuki Yugao to dodge in midair.

Anbu Ninja surrounded her, watching for an opening. The slightest slip could cost her life.

As the cords raced toward her, a strange bitterness surfaced on Uzuki Yugao's face.

She glanced toward the checkpoint, a bitter smile on her lips, when a Shuriken suddenly shot out from the shadows.

Clang!

Sparks flew as the two Kunai were knocked away.

The sudden turn of events made everyone's expressions change.

"What incredible Shuriken skills! He knocked away two Kunai with just one Shuriken!"

The Anbu squad leader hiding underground exclaimed in disbelief.

With no time to think, he quickly scanned the area and barked an order.

"Search the area for enemies! Kill them on sight!"

The Anbu squad leader had expected his subordinates to move at once after hearing his stern command.

But when he saw the terror in their eyes, his nerves suddenly tightened.

"Are you going to kill me?"

A taunting voice came from behind him. The Anbu squad leader's expression shifted in alarm, and he hurriedly used Earth Style to burrow away.

But the instant he slipped into the earth, a chilling sense of death spread through his body.

"I found you!"

As the words fell, a fist wreathed in lightning crashed down toward the ground like a battle-axe, accompanied by the roar of thunder.

Boom!

A thunderous blast exploded like a dry lightning strike.

The instant the fist hit the ground, the solid earth shattered.

Webs of cracks raced outward in every direction.

The Anbu squad leader, who had just burrowed underground, had his head burst like a watermelon.

Scalding blood sprayed through the air like dazzling fireworks, yet the sight was horrifying.

"Run! Hurry, let's get out of here!"

The six remaining Anbu Ninja panicked.

Their figures blurred as they turned to flee.

All the while, they kept their eyes on Qin Yu.

But the moment they moved, the dreaded figure vanished into thin air.

"Lightning Storm Blade!"

Qin Yu turned his right hand into a blade and, with Lightning Release chakra surging through him at supersonic speed, appeared in front of the first fleeing Anbu Ninja.

Without any flourish, he swept his right hand across the ninja's neck. Blood sprayed.

The terror had not yet left the ninja's face when his large head flew into the air.

The sudden attack shook everyone to the core.

But against Qin Yu, who seemed like the Grim Reaper incarnate, every defense was utterly useless.

He flashed five times. All they saw was blue lightning.

By the time they could react, it was already too late.

They barely had time to glimpse a figure wrapped in lightning before their heads flew through the air, trailing blood.

By the time Qin Yu stopped, all six heads had hit the ground.

Like rain beating down on banana leaves, they splattered the ground with scalding blood.

Uzuki Yugao had just regained her footing. As she looked at Qin Yu—the young man before her, wreathed in lightning and smiling warmly like the boy next door—she couldn't help taking half a step back.

"Now it's your turn," Qin Yu said with a playful smile.

"You're quite the pretty little thing. How about letting me have some fun?"

The casual words made Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate freeze.

They had never imagined that the man before them wasn't their savior, but a lecherous rogue.