A Brief Clash

The scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan stared coldly at them, exuding a powerful pressure that instantly enveloped them.

The expressions of the Sound Ninja changed drastically, and they instinctively retreated several steps, glaring at Mu with hostility.

They could clearly sense that Mu's aura was overwhelmingly powerful,

far more terrifying than any jonin they had ever seen. An intense aura of death locked firmly onto each of them.

They did not dare hesitate. They swiftly spread out, forming a five-point battle formation as chakra surged wildly.

Yet Mu remained lazy and relaxed, his body slightly leaned to one side and his gaze casual. He did not take the Sound Ninja before him seriously at all, as if they were not enemies, but insignificant passersby.

"Attack!"

The leading Sound Ninja shouted, and all five attacked at once. Shuriken and Wind Release ninjutsu blasted toward Mu together.

Mu shifted his feet lightly, lazily evading. Every movement precisely avoided all their attacks, and not even the corner of his clothes was touched.

A faint smile rested on his lips as he said casually, "That's all you've got? How boring."

With a casual wave of his hand, invisible chakra exploded outward, directly crushing all the ninjutsu. The Sound Ninja were sent staggering back, their faces pale.

The longer they fought, the more alarmed they became.

They had gone all out, yet they could not even touch him. This ANBU ninja before them was utterly beyond their level. There was no comparison at all!

"Use the Curse Mark!"

The leading Sound Ninja gritted his teeth and roared, and the others activated the Curse Marks within their bodies.

Ferocious black patterns instantly crawled across their bodies. Their auras surged as berserk chakra swept through the surroundings, multiplying their strength several times over!

But even so, they still could not do anything to Mu.

Mu continued to dodge and block absentmindedly. The interest in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only boredom.

Even with their Curse Marks activated, these people were still utterly weak.

"Enough playing."

Mu spoke flatly, and a cold gleam flashed through his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.

In an instant, chakra erupted around him. He raised a hand and gave a light wave, sending an incomparably sharp beam of chakra shooting forth.

It was impossibly fast!

The Sound Ninja had no chance to react. Their bodies were pierced through, and they crashed heavily to the ground, completely losing their breath.

Mu withdrew his hand and lazily dusted off his clothes, his expression returning to calm, as though he had merely done something trivial.

Mu did not answer him. He merely walked toward them slowly. With every step, the pressure around him grew heavier, until even the surrounding air seemed frozen solid.

"Orochimaru sent you to sabotage the exam site's defense system, didn't he?" Mu's voice was cold, carrying a trace of disdain. "And you think the likes of you are worthy?"

Upon hearing the name "Orochimaru," the faces of the Sound Ninja grew even uglier. They had not expected the ANBU before them to know Orochimaru's plan.

"Since you know, then die!"

One Sound Ninja gritted his teeth and abruptly activated the Curse Mark within him. His chakra instantly surged as he charged at Mu, gathering chakra in both hands before striking toward Mu's chest.

The other Sound Ninja reacted as well, activating their Curse Marks and attacking Mu. All kinds of ninjutsu swept toward him in an instant.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Several ninjutsu intertwined, forming a massive shockwave that crashed toward Mu. The trees in the forest shook violently from the impact, leaves falling in showers.

Faced with the combined assault of several Sound Ninja, Mu stood motionless, his face utterly expressionless, as though the attacks before him were not worth mentioning.

Just as the ninjutsu was about to strike him, Mu lightly raised his right hand. "Domain of Time!"

In an instant, within a radius of thirty feet centered on Mu, time slowed tenfold. The fierce ninjutsu now approached him in slow motion.

Mu calmly sidestepped, avoiding the combined attacks, while forming hand seals with both hands. "Flying Thunder God Technique!"

A flash of blue light appeared, and his figure instantly materialized behind one Sound Ninja. He grabbed the back of the ninja's collar with his right hand and casually flung him away.

"Bang!"

With a muffled impact, the Sound Ninja slammed heavily into a large tree and spat out a mouthful of blood. The Curse Mark on his body instantly receded, his aura weakened, and he lost consciousness.

The remaining Sound Ninja were dumbfounded. They had not even seen Mu's movements clearly before their companion had already been subdued.

"How is that possible?!" one Sound Ninja cried, his voice tinged with fear.

Mu gave them no time to react. His figure flashed again, moving like a ghost among the Sound Ninja.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several muffled impacts rang out in succession. Before the remaining Sound Ninja could react, Mu subdued them one by one, smashing them heavily into trees and knocking them unconscious. All the Curse Marks on their bodies faded away.

The entire process lasted no more than five seconds. Several Sound Ninja with jonin-level strength had been effortlessly crushed by Mu, without even a chance to fight back.

Mu clapped his hands and looked at the unconscious Sound Ninja on the ground. A cold glint flashed through his eyes. "Orochimaru, this is only the beginning. You're next."

Just then, a figure suddenly darted out from the depths of the forest and attacked Mu. A sharp wind blade slashed toward Mu's neck.

"Courting death!" Mu's gaze turned cold. He sidestepped the wind blade and turned to look at the figure.

The newcomer wore a black bodysuit and a mask, exuding a cold, sinister aura. It was Dosu of the Sound Ninja Five.

Dosu looked at the unconscious Sound Ninja on the ground, his expression dark and terrifying as he stared coldly at Mu. "Who are you? How dare you ruin Lord Orochimaru's plan and kill my men!"

Mu gave a cold laugh, his tone disdainful. "You think you're worthy of knowing my name?"

"Arrogant!" Dosu shouted angrily, abruptly activating the Curse Mark within his body. His chakra instantly surged to the peak of elite jonin level, and a powerful aura swept toward Mu.

"Sound Release: Resonating Pierce!"

Dosu formed hand seals with both hands and released a piercing soundwave from his mouth toward Mu. This soundwave could not only attack an enemy's body, but also disrupt the flow of their chakra and throw them into chaos.

The surrounding trees were shattered by the soundwave, while fine cracks appeared across the ground, showing just how powerful this ninjutsu was.

Faced with the soundwave attack, Mu's expression did not change. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun sharply. "Domain of Time!"

The speed of the soundwave instantly slowed tenfold. Mu calmly closed his eyes and relied on his powerful senses to evade the soundwave.

At the same time, he formed hand seals with both hands. "Scar of Space!"

The void twisted, and Mu instantly appeared before Dosu. Chakra gathered in his right hand as he struck toward Dosu's chest.

Dosu's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively raised his hands to block. But before Mu, his speed was simply far too slow.

"Bang!"

With a muffled impact, Mu's palm struck Dosu's chest. Dosu spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body flew like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into a large tree. The tree snapped apart instantly. Dosu struggled to rise, only to discover that all the chakra in his body had been sealed by Mu's chakra, leaving him completely unable to move.

His mask also shattered in the impact, revealing a ferocious face filled with fear and unwillingness.