Without a word or a moment's hesitation, the four Iwagakure Jonin charged straight at Lihuo!
Watching this righteous group beatdown, Lihuo didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment.
He decided to use every trump card he had in this fight!
As the distance between him and the Stone Ninja continued to shrink, Lihuo remained calm.
He tapped his left wrist with his right hand, and a finely crafted, custom Kunai appeared in his grasp.
Lihuo's right arm tensed with strength. With a mighty swing, he sent the Kunai hurtling toward the four Stone Ninja like a bolt of lightning!
But that wasn't all he intended. He rapidly formed Hand Seals with both hands and used a Ninjutsu he had obtained ever since crossing into this world, but had never dared to use.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The lone Kunai instantly became ten, ten became a hundred, and a hundred became a thousand!
A dark storm of Kunai swept toward the four men like a steel downpour.
The Stone Ninja had never expected this. Though they had already taken the boy extremely seriously, they still hadn't anticipated that he would reveal such formidable strength right from the start.
But Lihuo wasn't having an easy time of it either. Using such a chakra-intensive Ninjutsu all at once left him with too little chakra to cast another.
Still, the sky full of Kunai was already more than enough to give the Jonin a hard time.
As it turned out, even simple weapons could undergo a terrifying transformation when their numbers reached a certain scale.
The thousand Kunai hurtling toward them posed an enormous threat to the four Stone Ninja.
But Jonin were Jonin because they had extensive combat experience.
Faced with this situation, the four exchanged a glance, then rapidly formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Rampart!"
Though they had already unleashed the large-scale Earth Core, they still had strength to spare!
A wall dozens of times larger than an ordinary Earth Style Wall rapidly rose before the four men.
It intercepted every last Kunai just before the metal rain could strike them.
Seeing the Kunai embedded deep in the earthen wall, the four felt a chill run down their spines.
"We have to finish him quickly!"
But they didn't know that every Kunai embedded in the wall bore Lihuo's Flying Thunder God Mark!
Just then, the sounds of fighting that had lingered at the edge of everyone's awareness gradually died away.
Lihuo knew that Orochimaru and Mifune's mission was nearing its end.
The four Jonin's expressions also grew especially grave.
Lihuo quickly recovered his chakra, while the four Jonin seized the opportunity to rapidly discuss their tactics.
The four Jonin swiftly formed Hand Seals, then simultaneously slapped their hands against the ground.
Bang!
Their four hands kicked up clouds of dust as they struck the earth.
The four Stone Ninja poured every last bit of their chakra into the ground before them.
"Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Palm!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lihuo felt as if the earth beneath his feet had come alive, shaking violently.
Sensing carefully, he detected a hidden surge of chakra beneath the ground, like a beast poised to devour its prey!
Lihuo didn't dare take his chances. He immediately channeled his chakra.
"Dengdengdong!"
Flying Raijin Jutsu: activated! A crimson flash streaked past.
At that very moment, the earth beneath Lihuo's feet squeezed inward, cutting through everything in its range like a meat grinder!
Feeling the violent quake caused by Earth-Splitting Palm, the four Stone Ninja slowly exhaled. They didn't believe Lihuo could escape alive from such a fierce attack.
But things rarely went as expected!
Hum!
With a sharp ring as a blade left its sheath, a massive slash appeared across the giant Earth Style Rampart that had given the Stone Ninja such a profound sense of security!
With a tremendous crash, the enormous wall was cleaved cleanly in two!
A figure slowly walked in. It was Uchiha Lihuo!
He held the Flying Thunder God Kunai in a reverse grip in his left hand. In his right, he carried the Ninja Blade Flame, its blade reflecting a crimson glow. His face was filled with cold, murderous intent.
At the sight, the lead Stone Ninja turned ashen.
He couldn't understand it. In the face of Earth-Splitting Palm's overwhelming force, even a Jonin would surely have perished!
How could this brat appear before him without a scratch—and still have the strength to cleave through the Earth Style Rampart?
But years of carrying out missions had taught him not to wonder why, but to think about what to do.
He quickly assessed the situation. Orochimaru and Mifune were about to return, while the chakra of his four-man team was nearly exhausted.
Under such dire circumstances, any hesitation could cause the mission to fail!
His eyes narrowed.
"Carry out... Plan C."
The lead Stone Ninja gritted his teeth as he said it. The plan had been meant as a precaution, but he hadn't expected that they would actually have to put it into action.
The other three Stone Ninja silently nodded. There was nothing more to say. At that moment, all they could do was firmly carry out their captain's orders.
The three Jonin drew their Kunai, preparing to fight Lihuo to the death with Taijutsu.
They hurried forward and clashed fiercely with Lihuo!
Lihuo understood that even though his physical abilities had been constantly enhanced, fighting three Jonin at once would still be extremely difficult.
But with the Hatake Sword Technique on his side, things would be different!
He gripped Flame tightly, and the principles of the Hatake Sword Technique surfaced in his mind!
Lihuo darted between the three men. With every step, he left another wound on an enemy.
Amid the clang of clashing steel and splashes of blood, Lihuo severed the last enemy's neck.
Blood spattered across Lihuo's youthful face, lending him an almost demonic appearance.
Suddenly, Lihuo came to his senses!
"Wait! Why are there only three Jonin?"
He whipped around. Taking advantage of the time his teammates had bought him, the Stone Ninja captain had already reached Nakajima.
Facing his former comrade, he drove his cold Kunai forward with all his strength!
"Not a chance!"
Lihuo frantically channeled his chakra. The Flying Thunder God Mark he had placed on Nakajima earlier proved invaluable once again!
"Dengdengdong!"
The Stone Ninja captain's head was severed with a single slash!
As it flew through the air, he faintly glimpsed the Flying Thunder God Mark on Nakajima and Lihuo appearing in a crimson flash. With that, he smiled in relief.
"If it was Space-Time Ninjutsu, I can accept that."
Thud. Lihuo watched the Stone Ninja captain crumple to the ground like a rag. He felt neither joy nor sorrow.
Because he saw Nakajima's body slowly collapse as well.
At the final moment, Lihuo had managed to cut off the Stone Ninja captain's head, but the Kunai in his hand had still pierced its target!
Nakajima smiled as if finally at peace, then slowly closed his eyes.
Only Lihuo remained in the open area beside the inn.
Though he had carried out many missions involving killing, faced with a scene like this, Lihuo couldn't help but lament the Shinobi World's cruelty.
"Oh my, what a brutal battle."
Orochimaru's teasing voice came from above the pit. Standing beside him was the solemn Mifune.
Neither of them looked too worse for wear, but both were covered in dust and their enemies' blood!
Leaving the samurai to handle the scene, Orochimaru pulled Lihuo up first.
In a secluded corner, Mifune, Orochimaru, and Lihuo looked at one another in silence.
"Who do you think the assailants were?"
Mifune spoke first, breaking the silence.
"I think they were Stone Ninja. Their clothing and the Ninjutsu they used were both very similar to the Stone Ninja."
With the system backing him up, Lihuo answered without hesitation.
Orochimaru nodded.
"Mifune and I thought the same at first. But when we reached their base..."
"They had made it... too much like a Stone Ninja base."
Mifune picked up where he left off.
"From the decorations and utensils to the food, everything about them was too much like the Stone Ninja. But if the Stone Ninja were planning an ambush, why wouldn't they disguise themselves?"
That question left Lihuo baffled too. It sounded like one of those tongue twisters: "You predicted that I'd predict your prediction."
The key was figuring out how many layers deep these assailants' deception went!
Orochimaru spoke calmly.
"I looked over their intelligence. It only covered what was already common knowledge throughout the major Shinobi villages."
"It seemed more like a Stone Ninja base made to look like something else."
The three of them thought it over for a while, but with no new information, they realized the mystery was impossible to solve.
Mifune spoke.
"Regardless, it was my responsibility that the two of you were attacked in the Land of Iron. I'll write up a report and submit it to Konoha."
Orochimaru nodded, indicating that he approved of this course of action.
For now, the matter was settled.
Before you continue