"They seemed to be carrying out some kind of evil ritual."
Shinku spoke in a low voice. "We have to stop them as soon as possible. Otherwise, those residents could be in danger."
"But there are several of them, and we don't know how strong they are. Wouldn't it be too dangerous to charge in directly?"
Xia said worriedly.
"There's no time to consider all that now."
Shinku said, "If we let them complete the ritual, the consequences will be unimaginable.
How about this? I'll charge in first and draw their attention. The three of you can use that chance to rescue the residents."
"No, Sensei! That's too dangerous!"
Aoba immediately objected. "If we go, we go together. The four of us can join forces and defeat them!"
Xia and Mana nodded as well. "We'll fight alongside Sensei!"
Shinku looked at the determined expressions of the three of them and felt deeply moved.
He nodded. "Good! Then we'll go together! Remember, the residents' safety comes first!"
Shinku took a deep breath and suddenly dashed out from hiding. The Fuma Shuriken in his hand spun as it slashed toward the black-robed figures. "You evil bastards, stop right there!"
The black-robed figures clearly hadn't expected anyone to suddenly appear and were caught completely off guard.
One of them had no time to dodge and was struck by the Fuma Shuriken. He let out a miserable scream and fell to the ground, his mask dropping away to reveal a vicious face.
"It's you!"
Shinku's expression changed when he saw that face. "You're Ghost Face, the rogue ninja Konoha banished years ago!"
Ghost Face struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and revealed a sinister grin. "Heh heh, I never thought someone would recognize me.
Yuhi Shinku, it's