Slaughter Under the Moonlight (Seeking Collection!)

Under the pale moonlight.

Sosuke stood alone in the middle of the street, his shadow stretched long and thin.

He stood there quietly, his expression hidden behind a ghostly blue mask, leaving the bandits in the village unable to discern his true face.

On the street before him, a crowd had gradually gathered, spurred on by the shouts of the drunkard from earlier.

Each of them carried a weapon—wood-chopping knives, katanas, kunai—and they glared with fury at the figure standing motionless on the street.

"Hey! He's all by himself, let's rush him and hack him into mincemeat!" someone whispered a suggestion.

"Are you crazy? He's a ninja! Do you even know what a ninja is? I think we should hurry and find the boss! They say the boss has killed ninjas before!" a sharper individual retorted.

"Why bother the boss with something like this? Even if he is a ninja, there's only one of him. What do we have to fear with so many brothers here? Come on, any brave and ruthless brothers, follow me!"

One of the bandits finally succumbed to the oppressive atmosphere, calling upon a few vicious-looking men to charge forward and hack Sosuke to pieces.

A breeze blew gently, sweeping past the crowd on the street. It felt like the breath of death, sending a bone-chilling cold through the bandits. They glanced around at one another; tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful.

"He's just a ninja! Kill him!!" a burly man shouted as he charged forward.

"Kill him! The boss has a huge reward for this! Kill!" Immediately after, several others rushed forward!

The bandits standing further back were swept up in the fervor. The bone-chilling cold from the breeze was forgotten, replaced only by the desire to kill this so-called ninja who had delivered himself to their doorstep.

"Kill!!" "Kill!"...

Facing the surging, violent crowd, a faint smile hung on Sosuke's lips beneath his mask. His eyes swept casually over the bandits closing in from all sides.

This was finally getting a little interesting... wasn't it?

Suddenly!

A thin man leaped forward, raising a long blade high and bringing it down in a vertical strike toward Sosuke, who remained rooted to the spot!

To the charging bandits, the ninja appeared as if he had been frozen in fear, standing perfectly still.

Got him!! This guy is dead!!

The crowd surging behind watched this scene, their expressions shifting to slight astonishment. Had this ninja really been killed so easily?

Even the thin man who had delivered the strike thought the same! A look of excitement bloomed on his face. Killing this ninja would surely earn him a massive reward from the boss! Just thinking about the vast treasure made him want to laugh out loud!!

However!

A sudden, chilling sensation at his throat brought his dream to an abrupt end!!

Just as the long blade was about to land on Sosuke's head, a slender hand gently caught the edge of the blade. With his thumb and four fingers pressed softly against the sides of the steel, Sosuke held it perfectly still.

He took a light step forward, his fingers still pinching the tip of the blade, and traced a beautiful arc through the air. Like a withered leaf falling, the blade swept across the thin man's throat.

Blood sprayed like fireworks, landing on the ground like specks of white snow. A tiny droplet even brushed against the hem of Sosuke's white Shinigami Robe, leaving behind a pattern like fallen cherry blossoms.

Sosuke ignored it all, stepping forward as if he had merely crushed an ant.

The feeling of killing? No... just people without mercy. There are many more who deserve to die tonight...

And so, he walked alone, moving against the current of the swarming bandits!

The sight of Sosuke killing the thin man had actually filled the bandits with terror!

But they had no path of retreat now! They could only grit their teeth and charge forward to kill this damned fellow!

"Kill!!" "Kill!"...

A cacophony of filthy curses and chaotic shouting rose and fell among the crowd!

A single white figure charged into their midst, forming a stark contrast to the rest!

"Puchi!"

Sosuke tilted his head to dodge a flying kunai, which instead struck down a bandit behind him.

Taking advantage of that split second!

Two bandits wielding wood-chopping knives swung horizontally at Sosuke; had they connected, he would have been gutted.

Facing this omnidirectional assault, Sosuke pushed his Hakuda to the limit!

His body leaped suddenly, skillfully vaulting into the air. As he tumbled, his palm brushed against the knives, applying a subtle force.

The blades were ripped from the bandits' hands, spinning through the crowd and reaping life after life.

Blood flooded the street.

Just like that, the dense, coordinated attacks of the mob could not stop Sosuke's advance for even a moment.

Moving and shifting, Sosuke utilized his shoulders, elbows, fists, and knees. Before his masterful Hakuda, the bandits couldn't withstand a single blow!

More and more bandits collapsed onto the street!

The remaining bandits watched in horror as Sosuke slaughtered his way through the crowd!

Sosuke, however, felt entirely indifferent. Such opponents were far too weak; they weren't even worthy of him drawing his blade!

Even though this high-intensity physical exertion had left his body slightly fatigued.

The opponents were nothing more than a rabble; no matter how many there were, they couldn't add even a shred of burden to him!

At this moment!

Perched atop a nearby roof, Shimura Kazumi arrived, having followed the commotion.

Seeing Sosuke alone in the street amidst over a hundred bandits, she couldn't help but curse under her breath.

That foolish brat, to stir up so many people—he's making such a simple mission look like a struggle!

However, when she saw Sosuke moving through the crowd of bandits completely unimpeded, the sight left her stunned. The complaints she had been ready to voice died in her throat.

This brat!! Where on earth did he learn such taijutsu skills!!!?

On the field, Sosuke moved as if he could predict every single attack. Amidst the dense, brutal onslaught of the bandits, he dodged every blow by mere centimeters!

A miss by an inch is a miss by a mile!

That single centimeter was the boundary between life and death.

Sosuke danced along the edge of mortality, shifting and weaving through the bandit horde without the slightest sign of pressure!

The scene truly astonished Shimura Kazumi; at his age!

To possess such strength meant Sosuke could no longer be described merely as a genius!

Just then!

From elsewhere, the true ninja hidden among the bandits arrived!

Led by their leader, they had originally intended to retreat, but upon seeing Sosuke alone in the street, they reconsidered.

Even though they were also shocked by the taijutsu prowess Sosuke displayed on the street!

Judging by his stature, they could deduce that Sosuke was still just a young ninja—a brat, and no matter how strong he was, there had to be a limit!

Dealing with these hundred-plus men should have drained his stamina completely!

The moment a flaw appeared in his movements!

That would be the perfect opportunity to kill him!

If they succeeded, Konoha would never be able to uncover a thing.

That was what the ninja leader thought!