The Battle of One

Silence.

A deathly silence!

Across the entire desert, nothing could be heard but the wind sweeping by!

The Sand Shinobi watching from the side were all frozen in place, as if something were stuck in their throats. Their faces were pale, and sweat poured down them like rain!

They had just felt that they had "a huge advantage," but now they were completely dumbfounded.

W-what was going on?

Weren't the Anbu Ninja the elite of Sunagakure...

Why were even elite ninja being killed instantly?

This was ridiculous!

Everyone looked up at the boy in the sky, their faces filled with despair and fear.

However,

what no one knew at that moment was that,

in the darkness far away, two figures were lying in wait as well.

They were the two who had come to Sunagakure with Chen Xiaoxi—Juzo Biwa and Itachi Uchiha.

At that moment, both of them looked somewhat stunned.

The visual impact of that golden Lightning Release without hand seals had been unquestionably immense, especially against the dark night sky.

The instant it was released, it seemed to turn the entire desert and sky gold...

The key was that it wasn't just astonishingly destructive—it lasted a long time, too. It was absurd!

Only after quite a while did a bead of cold sweat slide down Juzo Biwa's forehead. He gave a strained, uneasy laugh, looked at Itachi beside him, and asked in a low voice:

"Itachi, have you ever seen such a powerful golden Lightning Release?"

"..."

At that, Itachi withdrew his gaze. After remaining silent for a long moment, he solemnly shook his head.

"...No. I've never seen anything like it.

"I suppose this is the ninjutsu hidden within Senior Chen Xiaoxi's golden eyes, the Wicked Eye of the Tyrant, just as Kakuzu once mentioned..."

"The power is truly unbelievable."

Though Itachi's voice was calm, his expression was exceptionally grave.

There was even a hint of wariness in it.

Meanwhile,

Chen Xiaoxi, standing in midair,

slowly lowered his finger, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

The power of a Way of Destruction fueled by all his Reiatsu really was something else.

Even Thunder Roar Cannon, the sixty-third spell in the sequence, could easily take out ordinary Sand Hidden jōnin without an incantation when combined with the suppressive force of Reiatsu...

He wondered whether the Way of Destruction was simply too powerful, or the Sand Hidden ninja were just that weak.

As Chen Xiaoxi was pondering this, a notification rang in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Side missions completed!"

"Defeat 30 Sunagakure Chunin (30/30): Complete! Reward: Reiatsu +1, Kido EXP +5, Shop Points +200!"

"Defeat 10 Sunagakure jōnin (10/10): Complete! Reward: Reiatsu +10, Kido EXP +60, Shop Points +300!"

When the notification ended, Chen Xiaoxi raised his brows slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Before coming, he'd worried that Sunagakure wouldn't have enough people for him to fight. He hadn't expected that one Pale Blue Fire Crash earlier and the Thunder Roar Cannon just now would complete every mission. That was great.

Now, all he had to do was defeat the Kazekage and the Jinchūriki, and he'd have practically completed the entire mission.

With that thought,

Chen Xiaoxi slowly descended from the sky and walked straight toward the people of Sunagakure.

His steps were casual, his expression relaxed. He looked nothing like an invader; instead, he seemed to be strolling through a courtyard.

"?"

At the sight, all the Sunagakure ninja turned pale and stared at Chen Xiaoxi in terror as he approached.

Just then, a Sand Shinobi suddenly leaped out from who knew where.

He raised his ninja tool, trembling as he took up a defensive stance. Forcing himself to stay calm, he shouted shakily:

"D-don't come any closer!"

"D-don't come any closer... Rain Hidden ninja!"

"A-are you really going to formally declare war on our Sunagakure in the Land of Wind?"

"Our... our Kazekage Rasa will never forgive you!"

He shouted loudly, trying to sound fierce.

But the tremor in his voice clearly betrayed his fear.

It was obvious that he was trying to intimidate Chen Xiaoxi by invoking Kazekage Rasa's reputation.

Yet, when he heard that,

Chen Xiaoxi really did stop two meters away from them.

...Huh?

Seeing this, quite a few Sand Shinobi froze in surprise.

Well... did it work?

Could this guy... really fear Lord Kazekage Rasa, too?

At the thought, a faint glimmer of hope suddenly rose in their hearts.

But just then,

Chen Xiaoxi gently curled his lips into a smile, looking at the gathered Sunagakure ninja with a mild expression.

"Fine, I won't come any closer."

"Go tell your Fourth Kazekage, Rasa—"

"Tell him to hurry out here and take a beating."

"...Huh?"

Every Sunagakure ninja was dumbfounded.

Meanwhile,

elsewhere.

In the Kazekage's Office, at the very center of Sunagakure,

Rasa was studying a map of the Ninja World with a grave expression, weighing the matter of conquering Amegakure.

Although he'd just heard the sound of an explosion, he hadn't paid it any mind.

He trusted the strength of his Anbu Ninja.

But just then,

a panicked Sand Shinobi suddenly burst in and slammed to a halt in front of the desk!

His face was deathly pale. Staring at Rasa, he stammered:

"B-bad news... Lord Kazekage!"

"The two Anbu squads you just sent out... were defeated by the enemy..."

"!"

Rasa's hand froze!

"...What did you say?"

Before the ninja could respond, he furrowed his brows and said in a deeply somber voice:

"Fourteen Anbu Ninja were sent out, and they were defeated in such a short time?"

"Damn it! How many enemies came?"

"..."

At that, the ninja's face grew even more miserable. After hesitating for a long while, he finally spoke with a bitter expression:

"J-just one."

"It seems there was only one of them from beginning to end..."

"Hmm?"

Rasa was instantly dumbfounded, a thousand questions appearing in his mind.

Just one...

Was this a joke?

Could one person really wipe out all fourteen Anbu in such a short time?

Had Hanzo come in person?

No... that couldn't be!

If that old man Hanzo had come, someone would've recognized his poison gas by now...

That meant it was probably some hidden figure from Amegakure!

Realizing this,

Rasa clenched his teeth and stood up at once.