Chapter Twenty-Six: Strike and Kill (Seeking Collection and Recommendation!)

By this time, the dust and smoke on the ground had gradually dissipated.

The scene behind the Earth Barrier was revealed!

Shimura Kazumi and the Bandit Ninja Group arrived almost simultaneously.

When they saw the two dead ninjas and Sosuke standing there, they were all shocked to the extreme.

Although she had a general understanding of Sosuke's strength, seeing him unscathed after a coordinated assassination attempt involving ninjutsu—and having even managed to counter-kill the two opposing ninjas—made Shimura Kazumi unable to believe her eyes!

However, Shimura Kazumi had no time to remain stunned. After assessing the situation, she was the first to speak.

"Aizen, come over here. Leave the rest of these guys to me."

She worried that after killing those two ninjas, Sosuke might have exhausted his combat strength, so she hurried him to her side. After all, in her eyes, Sosuke had become her uncle's disciple, and protecting his safety was of the utmost importance.

Upon hearing her words, Sosuke looked up at her and slowly walked to her side.

Shimura Kazumi's purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her beautiful eyes stared intently at the group of ninjas, guarding against any sudden attacks.

At this moment, the leader of the Bandit Ninja Group had a very ugly expression!

He had not expected that the two subordinates he had sacrificed his cover to save would both be killed!

The other ninjas were also exchanging glances. It was clear that these two ninjas from Konoha were extremely powerful and definitely not some minor, insignificant characters.

It was highly likely that all of them would perish here today.

This thought made everyone's faces turn grim.

Just then, the ninja leader spoke up.

He shouted with a deep, booming voice.

"You are Konoha ninjas, right? Why are you attacking us? You should know that we have not offended anyone from Konoha."

He was still trying to play dumb to muddle through.

Hearing his words, Shimura Kazumi replied coldly.

"What, you people from the Land of Sand still want to pretend?! Your presence has seriously violated Konoha's territory. Will you surrender, or will you persist in your futile resistance to the end!?"

Sure enough, hearing Shimura Kazumi call out their identities, their expressions became even more unsightly.

Under the current circumstances, there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution. Judging by the stance of these two from Konoha, they clearly had no intention of letting them go.

The leader's face was extremely gloomy as he signaled to the few subordinates around him.

A battle was on the verge of breaking out.

Across from them, Shimura Kazumi whispered to Sosuke.

"How is it?! Aizen, can you still hold on in your current state?"

Hearing her, Sosuke naturally offered a smile, though a hint of coldness appeared in the depths of his eyes as he looked at the restless bandit ninjas.

Although the previous battle had left him somewhat tired, this level of fatigue was not enough to affect his combat prowess; Shimura Kazumi had clearly underestimated his strength.

Since there was no need for negotiations, battle was the only way to resolve the problem.

In an instant!

The bandit ninjas moved!

Although they were only at the level of average chunin, the ninjutsu they could unleash was difficult to deal with if they coordinated well.

Several of the bandit ninjas charged toward Sosuke, Shimura Kazumi, and the others!

They were acting as a distraction to provide enough time for the ninja leader and the rest in the rear to prepare their ninjutsu!

Shimura Kazumi met them head-on, engaging them with sharp, precise movements, but her cold, beautiful eyes were fixed mostly on what was happening behind them.

Sure enough!

In the rear, the leader of the bandit ninjas and several others stood in place, quickly forming hand seals!

"Earth Style: Bedrock Breaker!" "Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!" "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Several ninjutsu were used in coordination!

The ground where Sosuke and Shimura Kazumi stood rapidly turned into a muddy swamp, making it difficult to take a single step!

Not only that, a crazed, swirling gust of wind attacked them, and massive boulders began to rain down from the sky above their heads!

If they were hit, they would definitely be severely injured!

At that moment, Shimura Kazumi displayed her superb taijutsu, easily kicking away the two ninjas she was fighting, and instantly formed several hand seals!

"Illusion: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."

Immediately following that, her hand seemed to be enveloped in a layer of swirling wind!

"Wind Style: Beast Wave Palm!"

As she swung her arm with force, a massive air-blade slash tore forward!

It not only blew the giant falling boulders off course, but the two ninjas near her were also violently sent spinning and flying away!

The bandit leader and the others standing in the rear preparing their ninjutsu were even more horrified; under the effect of the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, their field of vision was plunged into total darkness, and they were completely unable to see the air-blade slash cutting toward them!

A chorus of wails erupted as the violent shockwaves of the wind blades slammed into them, snapping at least several ribs and leaving them bleeding uncontrollably.

The battle on Sosuke's side was equally straightforward.

Having received the knowledge imparted to him by Kyoka Suigetsu, Sosuke had already undergone a heaven-shaking transformation!

Facing the massive boulder plummeting from the sky and the two Chunin before him, such a scene was clearly beneath his notice.

With a faint smile on his face, Sosuke gently rested his palm upon Kyoka Suigetsu and tapped his foot lightly against the ground.

He utilized Senka once more!

He easily dodged the boulder's assault and arrived directly behind one of the ninjas!

Senka was a rotational form of Flash Step that allowed for high-speed movement to an enemy's blind spot, launching a sudden, lethal strike!

Just like that, the Kyoka Suigetsu in the reappearing Sosuke's hand was thrust gently forward!

"Hatomaru! Behind you!"

Before the panicked shout could even finish, the ninja named Hatomaru felt a sharp pain in his chest!

A snow-white blade tip protruded from his chest!

"Well... your sins have stained your entire being... go and atone for those you have killed..."

As Sosuke whispered softly, the man slowly collapsed to the ground, his life extinguished!

The remaining ninja stared at Sosuke in a panic, never imagining that this masked Konoha ninja could kill his companion so easily!

His face was etched with disbelief!

He turned and ran, desperate to escape!

To continue charging at such an opponent would surely be a death sentence!

However, before he could run more than a few steps:

"Hado #4. White Lightning!"

Following the whisper from behind, a brilliant blue bolt of lightning pierced straight through his heart!

He looked down in terror at the blood spilling from his chest, his eyes filled with dread. His body began to collapse powerlessly to his knees, blood bubbling from his lips as he tried to mutter words that would never be spoken.

In his final moments, he wondered if he had never been a ninja, would he have been spared all of this... but there was no one to answer his question.