The mist over the bridge had yet to disperse, and a sense of unease seemed frozen in the air.
While Hayashi's shout still lingered in the wind, Zabuza had already moved first.
"No need to tell me-"
"I've been wanting to do this all along!!"
The Kubikiribōchō flashed coldly, sending the samurai at the front staggering back. The scene descended into chaos in an instant.
A bloody mist rose.
Only today did those fifty or sixty samurai see for themselves what kind of hell the phrase "a tiger among sheep" truly described!
The samurai had still been hesitating. Some tried to flee, only to stop again almost immediately, seemingly realizing that Gato behind them would not allow them to retreat.
Caught between advancing and retreating, the samurai mustered their last scraps of courage and shouted in unison as they swarmed him.
"Kill him!!"
"He's only one man!!"
"Surround him! Surround him!!"
Dozens of blades slashed at him from every direction.
Greed for the bounty still burned in the eyes of the samurai at the front as they roared and swung their swords.
Their blades hacked down in a wild jumble, yet failed to touch even the hem of Zabuza's clothes.
Zabuza did not retreat an inch. Instead, he charged straight into them.
His blade flowed through the crowd, every rise and fall carrying tremendous force.
Every movement slipped into the gaps between his enemies' breaths, and every swing aimed to sow the widest possible panic rather than merely inflict wounds.
His slaughter stirred up a crimson mist, leaving the samurai trampling one another in the visual confusion.
Though his injuries had yet to heal, his sword work remained exceptionally steady.
After the third wave of their comrades was sent flying like straw, cracks finally appeared in the samurai's formation.