Battle

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Sharp, urgent whistles tore through the air.

The moment Genichi finished speaking, the several ninja arranged in a swastika-like encirclement flicked their wrists, and shuriken gleaming with black light shot through the air toward Samu Kokaze.

At the same time.

Genichi stared gravely at Guy opposite him. His hands at his sides began forming seals at high speed, preventing Guy from going to Samu Kokaze's aid.

"You're courting death!"

With a furious shout, Guy saw that they had ignored him and attacked directly. Killing intent surged in his eyes as tremendous force erupted beneath his feet, instantly shattering the ground several yards around him.

Boom...

A violent airburst rang out. Guy, who had just been standing in place, vanished in an instant. The next moment, he appeared before Genichi, his clenched fist carrying a fierce gale as it mercilessly smashed toward Genichi's head.

"Fast!"

Feeling the wind pressure by his ear, Genichi's pupils contracted slightly, and his hand seals changed instantly.

Boom...

The earth exploded, scattering dirt that punched countless tiny craters into the ground. Guy, who had thrown the punch, looked at the shattered clod of earth in his hand, his expression tightening slightly.

"Earth Substitution?"

At the same time.

Standing beside Tanaka Keishi with a bundle on his back, Samu Kokaze calmly watched the incoming attack. His sleeve flicked slightly, and a black kunai appeared in his hand.

A faint silver light flashed in his eyes. Facing the shuriken drawing ever closer, Samu Kokaze remained calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

In Samu Kokaze's eyes at that moment, everything in the world could be replaced with data. Wind speed, weight, velocity, direction—all the data he could comprehend appeared simultaneously upon the incoming shuriken.

"Let's see what I can achieve without activating the Combat Assistance System."

He murmured so quietly that even Tanaka Keishi beside him failed to hear clearly.

Whoosh...

His arm holding the kunai swung. With three crisp clangs, the black kunai traced a perfect arc through the air and effortlessly knocked the incoming shuriken to the ground.

Feeling the vibrations from deflecting the shuriken, he looked at the approaching men. A mocking curve touched his lips, and faint killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

"Xiaofeng! Can you handle them?"

Guy, who was confronting Genichi, glanced over and called out.

Guy understood Samu Kokaze's strength better than anyone. During the year he had spent following him, he had clearly witnessed his growth every day.

Even though he could not refine chakra due to the injuries he had suffered two days ago, relying on taijutsu alone, he might not be able to kill these ninja, who were merely as strong as ordinary Konoha Genin, but holding out would absolutely not be a problem.

"They're just trash. Nothing serious."

Hearing the question, Samu Kokaze replied coldly without moving.

"Trash?"

Before Guy could respond, the veins on the foreheads of the three ninja surrounding Samu Kokaze bulged, and killing intent appeared in their eyes.

As ninja, even if they were only Genin, their status within the Sato Clan was by no means low.

In the anime from his previous life, the protagonist could travel anywhere and encounter plenty of ninja of every rank, but that depended on where he was. It was either one of the major ninja villages or the lair of some boss.

One had to understand that, in this real world, ninja who wielded power stood at the absolute top of society.

Compared to the world's population, ninja possessing extraordinary power could be said to be one in a thousand.

After all, a qualified Genin could slaughter a civilian village without any difficulty. During wartime, aside from the rare few with relatively kind hearts, such as Jiraiya and Tsunade, most ninja did not even regard civilians as human beings.

The ninja who had tried to assassinate Samu Kokaze two days ago had already been the strongest member of the Tanaka Clan apart from those guarding the clan's ancestral residence.

As a ninja long employed by the Tanaka Clan, although he was not a core member of the Tanaka Clan, his status there was even slightly higher than Tanaka Keishi's, despite Tanaka Keishi having devoted his entire life to the family.

This alone showed the status ninja held in this world.

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

Dense footsteps rang across the empty wilderness. The three ninja charged toward Samu Kokaze in the middle in a triangular formation. Looking at the small figure drawing closer, the three men gripping kunai flashed bloodthirsty looks.

"Heh!"

With a cold laugh, he tossed the bundle from his back to the ground. After glancing at the three incoming men, he tightened his grip on the kunai and charged at the ninja directly ahead of him.

"Ha ha! You're courting death!"

Seeing the small figure running toward him, the ninja's eyes flashed with wild delight. Although Samu Kokaze had knocked away the shuriken just now, given his age, how strong could he possibly be even if he had trained since the womb?

He was merely a sheltered ninja who had never seen the world. In their eyes, the tale of Kakashi becoming a Chunin at six was nothing more than Konoha's boasting.

The thought of personally killing the mission target, along with the various rewards the higher-ups would grant him afterward, perhaps even high-level ninjutsu, made his breathing quicken.

With that thought, his breathing became hurried and his pace slightly quickened. Bloodlust, excitement, and twisted emotion blended completely across his face.

The two ninja attacking from the other sides watched Samu Kokaze charge at the ninja ahead of him, intense jealousy appearing in their eyes. At that moment, they even hoped he could hold on for a few seconds, so they could deliver the final blow themselves.

"Are they treating me like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered?!"

His exceptional senses picked up the expressions of the approaching men. Samu Kokaze's mouth twitched slightly, and his face turned cold. "You really are irritating."

Watching the figure draw closer, his hand around the kunai tightened slightly. He said icily, "Time Domain... double speed."

Whoosh...

Samu Kokaze's speed suddenly doubled. He crossed paths with the incoming ninja, then lowered his head to look at the kunai, blood dripping from its edge, and smiled faintly.

Thud...

The sound of a heavy body hitting the ground came from behind him. The ninja, whose face had just been twisted with excitement, fell to the ground with terror still lingering on his features. A bloody line appeared across his neck, and bright red blood sprayed from it, staining the frozen earth beneath him.

Smelling the faint scent of blood in the air and seeing the corpse on the ground, the two ninja attacking from the other sides froze. The arms holding their kunai trembled slightly.

Gulp...

"H-how... is that... possible?!"

A hoarse, disbelieving voice rang out. Their shocked expressions were as though the chick they had been about to slaughter had suddenly turned into a primordial beast in the blink of an eye.

"No wonder the last operation failed. Is this why you had the confidence not to go help?"

Genichi tilted his head and calmly watched the battle that had just unfolded, asking evenly.

"I believe in Xiaofeng's strength!"

Guy, likewise watching the battle ahead, replied in a deep voice. He turned to look at the bald Genichi. "If he were truly in danger, you couldn't stop me."

His voice was steady and certain, as though he were stating an undeniable truth of the world.

"What arrogance!"

The corner of Genichi's eye twitched. Killing intent rose as he stared at Guy. "Let me see what gives you, you green-skinned freak, such confidence!"