"I'm not a Konoha ninja. I'm just a passing Kamen Rider," Genye hurriedly clarified.
"I don't care who you are! Die!"
Kushimaru Kuriarare and Munashi Jinpachi were already fuming after their argument, and they were itching to take it out on someone.
He drew Nuibari and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Genye, stabbing viciously toward his heart.
"Look out, Kamen Rider!" Might Duy cried.
Ebisu and the other two held their breath, breaking into a cold sweat for Genye.
"Hmph. You're asking for it!" Seeing that it was Kushimaru, Genye snorted, his anger rising.
Two years, seven months, and eleven days ago, Kushimaru had driven him into a humiliating retreat. Genye had never forgotten that grudge!
"Gentle—"
As he raised his hand to punch, a joke flashed through Genye's mind.
Enemy: "Which village are you from?"
Guy: "I won't tell you! Konoha Hurricane!"
Enemy: "So you're from Whirlwind Village!"
I laughed like an idiot back then. Damn it, I'm the idiot!
"Gentle... Tender Feelings Like Water Long Flowing Heartless Fist!"
With no time to spare, Genye rearranged the words in his head and improvised a technique, shouting its name as he threw his punch.
Boom!
As Kushimaru watched the punch bearing down on him, a flicker of familiarity suddenly stirred within him.
The essence of this technique...
"You... you're...!"
Kushimaru's pupils contracted. He lowered his blade of his own accord, abandoned his attack, and took half a step back. He opened his mouth to shout—
First he charges at me, then he's about to expose my identity... You're dead, kid.
Genye silently switched from Gentle Fist: Collapse to Gentle Fist: Blast.
Whoosh!
Terrifying force burst from the punch, crashing down like a raging flash flood and swallowing Kushimaru from half a meter away.
Bang!
A cloud of blood erupted. Kushimaru froze in place, mouth still open.
Half a second later, his body exploded into tiny chunks of flesh, blasted in every direction by the terrifying force.
"What a... what an evocative name!"
Might Duy was half a beat slow. He only reacted after Kushimaru exploded, then excitedly gave Genye a thumbs-up.
Ebisu: "???"
Looking at the rain of blood and chunks of flesh, Ebisu couldn't find even a hint of poetic meaning in it. All he wanted to do now was... gag!
Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪"∠) All right, he'd already thrown up.
"S-so strong!" Shiranui Genma gaped in shock, the toothpick in his mouth dropping to the ground.
Guy said nothing. He silently watched Genye's back, lost in thought.
On the boulder,
the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had been laughing and chatting moments ago, fell silent. Their nonchalant expressions instantly stiffened.
"W-what kind of joke is this?!"
Munashi Jinpachi growled, "Kushimaru was just punched to pieces by some guy who came out of nowhere?!"
He'd been arguing with Kushimaru moments ago. Now the other man had exploded right in front of him. It was hard to accept!
"Could it be..."
After studying Genye carefully, Juzo Biwa seemed to realize something. His face filled with shock.
In his mind, Genye's figure gradually overlapped with that of the kid who had defeated him back then, until the two matched perfectly!
Th-this couldn't be!
Back then, the kid had only been slightly weaker than him. If Juzo hadn't let his guard down at the end, the outcome could have gone either way.
But now, the kid had just punched Kushimaru—a man on the same level as Juzo—to pieces!
What kind of monstrous growth was that?!
Noticing Juzo Biwa's expression, Genye sighed with a touch of melancholy.
ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh.
He'd been so careful to keep his identity hidden. Why could people still recognize him, one after another?
"You're the one from back then..."
"You know too much!"
Juzo had barely started speaking when he felt a rush of wind behind him. Breaking into a cold sweat, he used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge aside.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the gust of wind pursued him like a shadow. This time, it appeared right in front of him and slammed toward his heart!
Juzo hurriedly raised Kubikiribōchō to shield himself.
Crack!
The next instant, he watched in despair as the supposedly indestructible Kubikiribōchō shattered yet again, like a brittle walnut shell. It didn't even slow his opponent down.
Bang!
The terrifying force of the punch tore through Juzo's chest, blasting it open. Shards of organs and bone sprayed out, staining the fallen leaves red.
"I... I knew it was you." Juzo Biwa gazed at the black-clad figure before him and murmured in a voice barely above a whisper.
Thud.
Genye silently lowered his fist, kicked Juzo to the ground, then turned to look at the five men on the boulder.
!!!
A chill ran through all five of them. Under Genye's gaze, they experienced the feeling of fear for the first time in ages.
...Weren't they supposed to be the ones who spread fear?
"Did any of you see how he moved just now?" Raiga Kurosuki hadn't realized that his voice was trembling.
"No!" Jinin Akebino snapped irritably. "That Body Flicker that makes him appear out of thin air—not even Konoha's Yellow Flash could do that!"
The other three stayed silent, their expressions graver than ever.
Before they could even react and go to Juzo's aid, he was already dead. What an astonishing speed!
This guy was far stronger than any of them!
...He'd punched two of their members to death. Could he be the Hokage in disguise?
"Heh."
Hearing them speculate, Genye's lips curled slightly.
Within five kilometers, the Flying Thunder God was strong. Within five kilometers, he was stronger!
Behind him, Ebisu and the others felt dizzy, as if they were in a dream.
Just moments ago, they'd been in a life-or-death situation. But now!
Their seemingly invincible foe had been casually punched to death—two of them!
"Could you not make it look so easy? It gives me the illusion that I could do it too!" Ebisu murmured.
"Life is short. Don't waste it dreaming of shortcuts," Shiranui Genma said, rolling his eyes. He was already in the mood to tease his companion.
Guy: (☉_☉)
"Let's attack together! Otherwise, none of us will make it out of here!" Jinin Akebino raised Kabutowari, his expression grim.
Jinin didn't need to tell them twice. The five gripped their Ninja Blades as if standing at the edge of an abyss, jumped down from the boulder, and slowly surrounded Genye.
Maybe we can take hostages? They exchanged glances, silently discussing tactics.
"Kamen Rider, allow me to lend you a hand!"
Might Duy was half a beat slow again. Seeing Genye surrounded by five men, he hurried over.
"Damn you!" Jinin Akebino roared in fury. He raised the hammer at the end of Kabutowari and swung it viciously at the approaching Might Duy.
The mysterious and powerful enemy was one thing, but now even some old man was barging in. Did they really think the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were easy to bully—?!
Thump!
Might Duy kicked high into the air, striking Jinin Akebino across the face and sending his head flying backward, behind his body.
Duy: Back then, I kept my hands in my pockets. I didn't know what it meant to have an opponent.
Could it be that we really are weak?
With his head hanging behind his neck, Jinin Akebino couldn't help wondering as he died.
Why could just any two people who showed up out of nowhere... could...
Thump.
Jinin Akebino staggered to the ground and died with his question unanswered.
The other four were instantly horrified.
Genye alone was more than they could handle. Now there was another monster. How were they supposed to fight?
"Run!"
No one knew which of the four shouted first. Raiga Kurosuki was the first to bolt.
The other three followed close behind, turning and fleeing with all their might.
Staying meant certain death. If they ran, they might still have a chance!
Boom!
Out of respect for history, Genye casually killed the one who ran slowest and let the other three escape.
I'm sure they'll learn not to judge people by their appearance when they get back.
Genye didn't pursue them, and Might Duy had no reason to chase them either.
He'd come here to protect his son, not to risk his life fighting people.
"Kamen Ri—huh? Where'd he go?"
Once he was sure the enemy had left, Might Duy turned around, about to thank Genye, but the man had already disappeared.
"Sir, you've been hiding your strength so well! I never knew you were this powerful!"
Ebisu ran over, adjusted his little glasses, and spoke excitedly.
"Where's that black-clad guy? How did he disappear so suddenly?"
Shiranui Genma came over too, picking up the toothpick he'd dropped and looking around in confusion.
"Ah, he must be a strong man who does good deeds without asking for anything in return. After helping us out of danger, he left right away."
As Might Duy spoke, he stopped and patted his son on the head, then continued meaningfully.
"Guy, if you see him again, remember to thank him."
"I understand, Father," Guy replied with a nod, looking thoughtful.
"Haha, Zabuza, your sword's gone!"
On the other side, Genye headed back to Konoha, carrying the hilt of Kubikiribōchō.
The sword could repair itself, anyway, so he'd smashed off the rest to make it easier to take back to Konoha and keep.
(Kubikiribōchō: 6.)
"Sigh, another busy day~~~"
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