Robbery

Whoosh—

On the spacious dock, the sea breeze rose slowly, carrying a salty, fishy scent.

Enkō stood within the encirclement without the slightest trace of nervousness. He even seemed a little pleased that his target had delivered itself to him.

The pirates exchanged glances. It was their first time seeing someone remain so unfazed while being robbed. This pretty boy did not look like any sort of expert either. Could he be an idiot?

After a long while, the captain stepped forward and called out, "Hey! Kid, I saw you get off that ship just now. If I'm not mistaken, you're one of its sailors, right? I'll give you a chance to live. Take us aboard, and then you can get lost."

"So you want to raid that ship." Enkō suddenly understood. He looked the men over and slowly said, "You're ninja, aren't you? Do you really need to go through all this trouble to rob an ordinary cargo ship?"

"Damn it! Brat! Are you telling us how to do our job? Believe it or not, I'll chop you down right now!" A burly man impatiently waved the saber in his hand, only to be stopped by the captain.

At that moment, the captain suddenly had a bad feeling. He vaguely sensed that they might have kicked an iron plate this time. Cautiously, he said, "Could you be a ninja as well, sir? We are ninja of the Funato Clan from the Water Country. My name is Funato Haiichi. Perhaps we have some connection."

Enkō thought for a moment. "The Funato Clan? That pirate family? Not interested."

"You!"

Funato Haiichi immediately frowned, but Enkō continued without a care, "Since you're also a ninja clan from the Water Country, this makes things easy. I'll give you a chance to live. Tell me where the Taketori Clan is, and then you can get lost."

Funato Haiichi flew into a rage. Though the Funato Clan could not compare to the first-rate great clans, they were still among the best of the second-rate clans. When had they ever suffered such humiliation? His face darkened at once. "Kill him!"

Swish—

The burly man who had spoken first could no longer hold himself back. Gripping his saber, he charged ahead and slashed at Enkō, who remained standing where he was!

Seeing their companion attack, the others naturally grabbed their weapons and closed in from every direction!

In an instant, killing intent soared across the dock!

Unfortunately for them, the local tyrants had encountered a fierce dragon from across the river!

As the burly man reached him, Enkō could not even be bothered to activate his Sharingan. His five fingers hooked like claws and shot toward the man's saber-wielding wrist with terrifying, lightning-like speed!

The instant Enkō moved, the burly man's expression changed. How could that speed belong to some green kid? He hastily tried to pull back and retreat, but it was already far too late!

Smack—

Enkō accurately seized the man's wrist and violently twisted it!

Crack—

"Ah!"

Accompanied by the sound of shattering bone, the burly man let out a miserable scream. His saber slipped from his grasp and fell.

Before the saber could hit the ground, Enkō suddenly extended a foot, lightly hooking it upward and kicking it back. The falling saber instantly became a spinning windmill, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle as it shot backward!

Splurt—

A sharp sound of blade piercing flesh came from behind him. One of the attackers did not even have time to react before the whistling saber impaled him clean through. The entire blade sank into his body, leaving only the hilt outside. He fell to the ground without even managing a scream!

At the same time, Enkō's hand coiled up the burly man's arm like a spirit snake. The man's heart lurched. He knew this was an exceptionally vicious killing move, yet he could not resist at all!

Crack—

Like a snake striking with its tongue, Enkō clamped down on the man's neck. His fingers tightened and instantly crushed his throat. Then he raised the muscular body with force and slammed it hard into the ground. After a dull bang, the huge man moved no more!

Funato Haiichi had only run ten meters when, in the blink of an eye, two of his subordinates died. Unspeakable terror filled his eyes. This brat looked young, but his skills were even sharper than his own clan head's. He was very likely from some powerful clan. This was not kicking an iron plate—it was stepping on explosives!

With that thought, he completely lost any will to fight. He stopped without hesitation and roared, "Retreat!"

He did not even need to remind them. The others had already realized what was happening, and upon hearing their captain's order, they turned and ran without another word!

Tap, tap, tap—

The pirate band that had been so menacing moments ago now scattered like startled birds in a forest. But before they had gone more than a few steps, a shriek cut through the air behind them. A kunai plunged into one man's back, blood spraying as he collapsed to the ground!

"One person is enough to lead the way."

"Run!"

Swish—

Enkō lightly pushed off the ground. Moving like a ghost, he snatched up the saber lodged in the corpse midway and instantly gave chase to the fastest-running young man!

"Hiss!" Hearing the terrifying sound behind him, the young man nearly wet himself. His entire body trembled uncontrollably. Realizing he could not escape, he immediately formed hand seals and pressed both hands to the ground!

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

Boom—

An earthen wall rose from the ground, stretching between the two of them. Protected by the wall, the young man relaxed and turned to continue fleeing!

"Heh." Enkō smiled disdainfully. His left hand swiftly brushed over the blade, and crimson flames instantly ignited along its edge. He swung horizontally at the earthen wall before him!

Uchiha Blazing Flame Slash!

Boom—

With a thunderous explosion, the earthen wall split apart, along with the figure behind it, who was severed at the waist in a cloud of blood mist!

Crash—

Amid the roar of the crumbling wall, Enkō planted a foot against its base and used the recoil to change direction. As he shifted sideways to the right, he casually swung his blade again!

Crack—

In the blink of an eye, a head soared into the sky. The spurting blood was vaporized by the flames, leaving no trace. After killing the remaining small fry, Enkō immediately charged toward the last one—Funato Haiichi!

Nothing but fear remained in Funato Haiichi's eyes. He had never heard of a ninja in the Water Country with such terrifying strength. "Where did this monster come from?!"

Whoosh—

The sound of wind tearing behind him drew ever closer. Years of ninja experience told him that blindly running would only make him die faster. Gritting his teeth, he turned to make one desperate stand, but the instant he turned around, a vicious kick slammed into his abdomen!

Bang—

Funato Haiichi flew backward, rolling several times before barely coming to a stop. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Just as he tried to climb back up, a blade tip pressed against his throat!

At that moment, time suddenly stretched into eternity. Funato Haiichi's mind went blank. He swallowed, wanting to say something, but no sound came from his open mouth. He could only stare dumbly at the terrifying monster before him.

It felt as though a century had passed before the young man finally spoke slowly. "Congratulations. You're the last one. This is your last chance. Take me to the Taketori Clan."

Funato Haiichi breathed heavily and took a long time to recover. "Th-this lord, the Taketori Clan has no territory. I..."

"Looks like you're useless too."

"But I know where to find them!"

Swish—

Enkō withdrew the saber that had been about to fall. He waved a hand. "Lead the way."