"Even geniuses have their differences. Their talents are no more than twinkling starlight, while I am the sun that commands the day and night!"
"Tonight is the first time I've killed someone. It's your honor—and your misfortune."
"You won't be able to stop me before I run out of Chakra!"
Bai Lin's voice echoed through the camp, brimming with unquestionable arrogance.
"Inoue, don't underestimate this Konoha brat. His strength is completely out of proportion to his age." The wounded Jonin clutched his charred ribs, his voice hoarse but urgent. "Look at his eyes!"
"His eyes?" Everyone turned to look at Bai Lin's eyes. Sure enough, they saw three Tomoe in each eye, staring straight at them.
"The Sharingan! He's from Konoha's Uchiha Clan!"
"How can that be? Have Konoha's shinobi already arrived nearby?"
"Damn it! Even so, our Land of Rain isn't to be trifled with."
Inoue frowned and ordered several men to keep watch on their surroundings, in case any other Konoha shinobi were lurking in the shadows.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Hahahaha..."
Bai Lin covered one eye with one hand and let out a crazed Uchiha laugh. The blue-green lightning on the Kusanagi Sword quivered with his laughter, and his Three-Tomoe Sharingan shone startlingly bright in the night. "Relax. I'm the only one nearby. There's no one else."
He stepped forward, and Lightning Release Chakra traced a ring of pale blue electricity across the ground beneath his foot.
"I have a request—"
"Either I kill every last one of you, or you all get killed by me!"
"Use every ounce of your strength to entertain me! After all, this is your last battle."
"What's there to be afraid of? He's just a brat with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan!" one hot-tempered Chunin shouted angrily.
"Quite the bold brat. Just because you think you're talented, you believe you can look down on all of us?"
"Hmph! You're just a fool. You did well among your peers, so now you think everyone has to grovel beneath your feet!"
"Today, we'll teach you that experience beats youth!"
"I'll take your Sharingan!"
Bai Lin looked no more than twelve, and he was alone, surrounded by them. It was only natural that they looked down on him.
Even a Konoha genius couldn't undo his mistake in a situation like this.
Inoue ordered, "Everyone, listen up! Attack with everything you've got! Let's see if you Uchiha brats can withstand the full force of Amegakure!"
Dozens of Amegakure shinobi responded in unison, unleashing their Chakra without holding anything back.
Water Release, Earth Release, and Wind Release Ninjutsu intertwined into a sweeping net of attacks. Ninja tools flew through the air, and the entire camp trembled.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Three high-level techniques hurtled toward Bai Lin at once. The water surged like a river, the earth wall towered like a mountain, and the wind blades were sharp as knives. Together, they formed a pincer, sealing off every possible escape route.
"You guys want to dance, too?"
There was no fear in Bai Lin's eyes. Instead, fierce fighting spirit blazed in them. This was the first time since gaining his strength that he could unleash his power without restraint.
No need to hold back. He only had to let loose completely.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun at high speed, instantly analyzing the weaknesses in every technique.
His hands formed seals at blinding speed as Lightning Release Chakra coursed wildly through his body. "Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In an instant, he countered each of their techniques.
"What?" Inoue's pupils contracted. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Bai Lin broke through the three techniques' blockade and rushed toward one of the shinobi.
There were several Jonin among the Amegakure shinobi present, and they reacted quickly.
"Such speed!"
"Not good! Defend!" Two Jonin nearby reacted at once and formed hand seals. "Water Release: Water Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The two defensive techniques formed instantly, a wall of water layered with a wall of earth in an attempt to stop Bai Lin's sudden attack.
But Bai Lin's lips curled into a cold smile. The lightning of his Chidori Blade stretched out again. "Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
He broke through both defensive techniques with ease, the Kusanagi Sword pointing straight at the Chunin's brow.
"No!" The shinobi's face went deathly pale. He hurriedly raised a Kunai to block.
There was no way an ordinary Kunai could withstand a Kusanagi Sword imbued with Lightning Release Chakra. The sword pierced through his brow without the slightest resistance.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, for killing a Chunin. You have earned 200,000 ryo. ]
Bai Lin heard the system notification again, and a pleased expression crossed his face.
"Sure enough, killing enemies on the battlefield really does put you in a good mood!"
"Damn brat!" Inoue was shocked at how easily Bai Lin had taken out one of his companions.
"That brat's sword is incredibly sharp. Avoid blocking it with Kunai."
Dozens of Shuriken whistled toward Bai Lin as techniques attacked from every direction, once again sealing off all his escape routes.
Bai Lin frowned. He knew how to deal with ninja tools and ordinary techniques, but he had no answer for poison.
Ten minutes later.
Bai Lin leaned on the Kusanagi Sword, panting heavily, his chest heaving.
There had originally been more than twenty Amegakure shinobi around him. Now, only the four surviving Jonin remained.
The Chunin and Genin had all been taken out in the battle.
"I didn't expect there to be eight Jonin among you. I let my guard down." Bai Lin stared fixedly at the four of them.
Although his strength and Chakra reserves were far greater than a Jonin's, facing eight Jonin by himself had still been far too difficult.
If they hadn't put him at such a disadvantage with genjutsu and poison, forcing him to hold back several times, he could have gotten a better result. He might even have taken out one more of them.
Even so, he had fought with all his might and taken out four of their Jonin.
"Brat... you're nearly out of Chakra, aren't you?" Inoue clutched his chest, burned by lightning, his voice hoarse but tinged with menace. "You're strong, that's true, but you're still just a child. You won't last much longer!"
The three remaining Jonin slowly closed in. Their hands moved through seals at an unhurried pace, yet their movements still carried murderous intent. "As expected of a Konoha genius. Even if you're more talented than Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, you're still nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter now!"
"I'm running low on Chakra. Looks like I'll have to use my trump card," Bai Lin muttered.
Bai Lin raised his head. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan still shone brilliantly, though now there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.
He licked his cracked lips and curled them into a defiant sneer. "Running low? Not even close!"
"Heaven Curse Mark: State One!"
Bai Lin called out, then slammed his left hand onto his left shoulder. Black curse-mark patterns spread instantly like vines, crawling over his neck and half his face.
The crimson markings set off his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, radiating a sinister aura that made their hearts shudder.
"What is that?" Inoue and the three Jonin looked stricken. Feeling the terrifying aura that suddenly erupted from Bai Lin, they instinctively took half a step back.
The Chakra fluctuations belonged neither to a change in a shinobi's nature transformation nor to an ordinary secret technique. They carried an oppressive force that seemed to transcend conventional combat power, chilling them to the bone.
"I really didn't want to use this trump card. It's too ugly. It ruins my image."
"It's so ugly that I didn't use it right away."
"Too ugly. No way!"