Encountering an Assassin

Takizawa Dan clamped a hand over Hyuga Hanabi's small mouth and spoke calmly to the surroundings, "Friend, since you've arrived, show yourself. What kind of hero hides in the shadows?"

Swish! Swish!

Two masked ninjas descended from the sky and landed in front of them.

Neither of them wore headbands, so Takizawa Dan couldn't immediately determine which ninja village they hailed from.

"Heh, heaven truly helps me. I've finally caught Hyuga Hanabi away from the protection of her clan! And with only a kid by her side, this mission is too easy!" one ninja cackled.

"Kid, you're in your teens and don't even have a ninja headband. You must be Takizawa Dan, that famous number-one loser of Konoha Village. You're out of luck running into us today!" the other ninja sneered, eyeing Takizawa Dan with disdain.

Takizawa Dan felt helpless; he hadn't expected his reputation as a loser to be so widespread that it had reached the entire ninja world!

He already possessed a headband, but it was tucked away in his pocket rather than worn.

However, judging by their tone, they seemed to be targeting Hyuga Hanabi.

Needless to say, it had to be for the Byakugan.

As the saying goes, an innocent man is guilty of his own treasure. It was quite unjust for Hyuga Hanabi to be caught in the crossfire for no reason.

"Number Two, I'll go grab Hyuga Hanabi! You slaughter that loser!"

"Boss... didn't the higher-ups say we were only responsible for capturing Hyuga Hanabi and shouldn't kill unless absolutely necessary?"

"You pig! This brat has seen us; if we don't silence him, what will we do when he calls for reinforcements later!"

With their minds made up, the two ninjas split left and right, charging rapidly toward Takizawa Dan and Hyuga Hanabi!

In this critical moment, Takizawa Dan's brain raced. He first dodged to the side to avoid Number Two's strike, then kicked him hard toward the Boss!

Bang!!!

"Ahhhhh!"

Number Two screamed as he was sent flying, crashing into the Boss, who was just a moment away from grabbing Hyuga Hanabi!

Boom!!!

The two of them flew backward together, slamming heavily into a tree as thick as a man's embrace!

"You idiot! What are you doing!? I was just about to succeed!"

"Boss... it's not my fault... that loser from Konoha Village has surprisingly strong skills; he sent me flying with a single kick!"

The Boss's expression turned grim upon hearing this. He looked at Takizawa Dan not far away and let out a cold laugh.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to have some skill. No wonder you were so calm!"

"It's just a pity you have absolutely no chakra! I want to see how you deal with my ninjutsu!"

With that, he began weaving hand signs at high speed.

"Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—

Smoke billowed, and dozens of identical versions of the ninja Boss appeared before Takizawa Dan!

"Kill!!!"

Dozens of clones, along with the Boss and Number Two, charged violently toward Takizawa Dan!

Hyuga Hanabi closed her eyes tightly in fear.

Seeing this, Takizawa Dan couldn't help but chuckle.

The scene before him was a god-given opportunity to test the ninjutsu he had just learned!

Without hesitation, Takizawa Dan also began weaving hand signs, his speed even a fraction faster than the Boss's!

"Bo... Boss, that loser is weaving hand signs too! It actually looks quite professional!"

The Boss's eyes narrowed slightly, but he soon let out a sneer.

"Hmph! Ignore him, he's bluffing! What use are hand signs for a loser with no chakra in his body? Can he actually release ninjutsu?"

Just then, Takizawa Dan finished the final hand sign.

Shielding Hyuga Hanabi behind him, he stepped forward and shouted:

"Wind Style: Dance of the Kamaitachi!!!"

Swish, swish, swish—

A violent gale erupted in the forest, and countless wind blades danced wildly, assaulting the Boss, Number Two, and the dozens of clones!

As the wind blades swept through—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

The clones burst one after another, turning back into smoke!

"!!!"

At this moment, the faces of the Boss and Number Two turned green!

"Damn it! What is going on!!! Why can he use ninjutsu without having any chakra?! And such a powerful Wind Style at that!!!"

"Genjutsu! It must be genjutsu!!! Everything is an illusion!"

However, no sooner had the second brother finished shouting than a sharp blade of wind sliced directly across his neck!

Squelch!!!

His head parted from his body, and blood sprayed wildly!

"Ahhhhhhh!!! Second Brother!!!!!"

The eldest brother was overcome with grief, yet he was completely unable to block these seemingly endless blades of wind.

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch! Squelch...

His limbs were severed one after another by the wind blades, and the ninja leader collapsed to the ground, blood gushing like a fountain!

Takizawa Dan shifted his focus, and the blades of wind filling the sky instantly began to dissipate.

At the same time, in the corner of his eye, a faint, barely perceptible timer appeared, slowly counting down:

Wind Style: Dance of the Kamaitachi, 29:59.

This meant he would not be able to use this ninjutsu again for another thirty minutes.

Takizawa Dan walked forward with Hyuga Hanabi. Having never witnessed such a cruel and bloody scene, Hyuga Hanabi couldn't help but cover her eyes, not daring to look.

Takizawa Dan, however, maintained a cold expression as he asked the leader, who lay powerless on the ground, "Speak. Who are you, and who exactly sent you?"

"Hehehe..." The ninja leader began to laugh, though the sound was even more grating than crying. "Takizawa Dan... I truly underestimated you. It turns out you aren't some good-for-nothing at all, but rather someone with astonishing combat power!"

"Some people just don't like to be high-profile; it's nothing worth mentioning," Takizawa Dan replied, shaking his head.

"But you shouldn't have killed my second brother!" the ninja leader suddenly shouted. "Do you have any idea? He was my own brother, the one I grew up with! He was my only family in this world! And you killed him! You devil, even if I die, I will curse you forever!"

The ninja leader's eyes were filled with intense malice, but Takizawa Dan merely chuckled.

"So what? Should I have just stood there, done nothing, and let you two brothers kill me and take Hanabi away?"

"The number of people who have died at the hands of you two brothers over the years must be quite high, right? Before you killed them, why didn't you think about the fact that they also had siblings, parents, wives, and children?"

"Since you dared to sneak into Konoha Village and kidnap the young lady of a noble clan, you should have been prepared to lose your life here! I thought you were at least somewhat of a tough guy, but looking at you now, you don't even die with the dignity of a ninja!"

Upon hearing this, the ninja leader's gaze dimmed, his face turned deathly pale, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he didn't get the chance; his head lolled to the side, and all signs of life vanished!

Damn it, I shouldn't have wasted time talking to this guy. I might have been able to get some useful information. Takizawa Dan felt deeply annoyed.

A green fragment dropped from the corpse.

Takizawa Dan stepped forward and picked it up.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the ability: Multi Shadow Clone Technique! (Can replicate the host's movements and ninjutsu!)]

[Cooldown: 60 minutes]

[Host's current abilities: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Gentle Fist, Wind Style: Dance of the Kamaitachi, Multi Shadow Clone Technique!]

"Ta... Takizawa-kun, this..."

Hyuga Hanabi looked at the two masked ninjas lying dead on the ground with their mangled bodies, then looked at Takizawa Dan with hesitation.