Slaughter

In the village that had been slaughtered by bandits.

Chiyu activated his Sharingan and confirmed the bandits' numbers. There were thirty-four in total.

Chiyu fixed his gaze on the four bandits who were going to fetch more wine.

"This feels so damn good. The way those two people I killed knelt on the ground and begged me to spare their lives was such a delight!"

"Isn't that the truth?"

"But this village is pretty poor. After we've looted it all, there won't be much left by the time it gets divided among us."

"It's not bad already. Did you forget the last village was even poorer? By the time it got to us, there wasn't any money left to divide."

"Don't worry. Didn't the boss say that the Land of Rice Fields has been picked clean? He said he'd take us next door to the Land of the Moon to make our fortunes."

Like a ghost, Chiyu silently appeared behind one of them. The cold glint of his kunai flashed as it slit across the man's throat.

The other two caught the familiar scent of blood and glanced toward the bandit whose throat had been cut.

That glance was the last thing they ever saw.

Chiyu slit the throats of both bandits.

The last bandit had not noticed in the slightest that his companions had had their throats cut by Chiyu. He was still prattling on about their future plundering plans.

"I heard that although the Land of the Moon is a small country like the Land of Rice Fields, it's much richer. Robbing just one village in the Land of the Moon might bring in more money than all the villages we robbed in the Land of Rice Fields combined. We'll definitely get a good share then.

Just thinking about it gets me excited. Don't you agree? Life's really looking more and more promising. I told you being a bandit had a bright future. Believe me now?

Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"

The bandit who had been talking nonstop noticed that the other three had fallen silent. He looked over by the firelight, and his hair instantly stood on end.

The three bandits clutched their throats, blood spilling from their mouths. They wanted to say something, but with their windpipes cut, every attempt to speak only made them vomit more blood.

All of a sudden.

The bandit felt a sharp pain on the skin of his neck. He instinctively touched it, and warm liquid covered his entire hand.

Then suffocation seized him. His entire face turned red, and in the end, he collapsed to the ground alongside his companions.

Chiyu flicked the blood from his kunai and coldly glanced at the corpses on the ground.

Hmm... this was pretty thrilling.

"Thirty."

After murmuring the number, Chiyu vanished back into the darkness and continued his assassinations.

Chiyu's plan was to first clear out those who were alone, then wipe out the remaining bandits in one sweep.

"Twenty-nine... twenty-six... twenty-three..."

Chiyu harvested the bandits' lives.

The bandits were still immersed in the joy of their banquet.

"Huh? Where's Shinichi? Didn't he say he was going to take a piss? Why isn't he back yet?"

"Don't tell me he got drunk and passed out somewhere? That kid's alcohol tolerance is that bad now? That's hilarious."

"Something's not right! Sota, Tsukasa, Ryusuke, and Yuya went to get wine, but none of them have come back."

"Futo is missing too!"

Only after Chiyu had assassinated so many of them did the bandits realize something was wrong.

The bandit leader immediately organized the rest, gathering them together and taking a count.

There had been thirty-four of them, but now only twenty-one remained. Thirteen had vanished.

The bandit leader decisively shouted, "Grab your weapons!"

The bandit leader led the bandits in searching for Chiyu.

When they saw their companions' corpses on the ground, the bandits felt a chill run down their spines.

So many had died without making a sound. The unknown was what frightened people most.

"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!"

Chiyu appeared behind the bandits. After forming hand seals, he pressed both hands against the ground.

Chiyu created sharp rocks in the ground beneath the bandits, and several of them were pierced straight through.

The quick-reacting bandits immediately retreated and avoided the attack.

The bandit leader stared in horror at Chiyu, whose figure was hidden in the shadows.

He was actually a ninja!

In the ninja world, even Genin held extremely high status.

That status came from strength.

Before Chakra appeared, samurai had held the highest status.

Now, only the Land of Iron still had samurai.

Even the samurai had begun cultivating Chakra, no longer focusing solely on swordsmanship.

These bandits were merely ordinary people. Facing a ninja, even a Genin would be difficult for them to defeat.

Once they realized he was a ninja, every one of the bandits grew afraid.

The bandit leader understood that if they retreated now, they would likely be picked off one by one. They had to take a gamble if they wanted a chance.

Besides, the bandit leader believed his opponent could not be that strong. Otherwise, there would have been no need to resort to assassination.

"Don't panic! We have the numbers! He's alone! Don't lose your heads! Follow my command, everyone charge together!"

After steadying the group's nerves, the bandit leader roared, "Get him! Charge!"

Hearing their leader's order, all the bandits rushed at Chiyu in a swarm.

Chiyu rapidly formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

After gathering Chakra in his throat, Chiyu spewed a massive fireball from his mouth.

The few bandits at the very front were blasted into the air by the fireball, flames engulfing their entire bodies.

"Don't be afraid! Keep charging! As long as we get close to him, we can kill him! If we retreat now, we're finished for good!"

The bandit leader stood at the very back, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Chiyu formed hand seals once again.

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

A column of water burst from his mouth and crashed into the bandits.

However, the water column could only force the bandits back; it could not inflict any real damage.

But puddles had now formed on the ground, and most of the bandits were soaked through.

After forming hand seals, Chiyu touched a puddle with his hand.

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap!"

Dazzling lightning erupted from Chiyu's hands, illuminating the darkness around them.

The lightning conducted through the water, sending black smoke rising from the bandits' bodies.

Chiyu drew the longsword at his waist and charged forward in a straight line, beheading the bandits one by one as they lay paralyzed and unable to move from the electricity.

The bandits who had not gotten wet stared at Chiyu in horror. They had not even touched him, yet more than half of them were already dead or injured.

How were they supposed to fight this?

The bandits turned and fled in blind panic.

Only while fleeing did they realize that their leader had long since disappeared.

After beheading all the bandits who had been paralyzed in place by Lightning Release, Chiyu quietly said, "Nine." Then he bent slightly at the waist and pushed off with both legs, shooting forward like a cannonball.

After three years of training at the Ninja Academy, coupled with a month of Orochimaru's targeted training, Chiyu could now reach the speed he had when he had first learned Thunder Breathing, even without using Lightning Release Chakra to activate his body.

Like the Grim Reaper, Chiyu prepared to harvest the lives of the last remaining bandits.