The rain kept falling. The Masked Man had quietly reached the outskirts of Kirigakure, and the moment he stepped inside, the village's barrier patrol detected him.
Several ANBU wearing Kirigakure masks emerged from all sides, surrounding the Masked Man from multiple angles.
"Who are you? This is Kirigakure. Suspicious individuals are not allowed to enter freely. I suggest you leave at once."
But before the ANBU could finish speaking, a kunai pierced his throat. Clutching his bleeding neck, he made a few wet, sputtering sounds before collapsing in bitter resignation.
"Too noisy."
Short spikes slid out of the Masked Man's sleeves. As he danced through the attackers, every movement claimed another ninja's life. Before long, fewer than one in ten of the ANBU who had arrived remained alive.
Blood mixed with rainwater and slowly trickled down the Masked Man's mask.
Faced with such a powerful enemy, the Kirigakure ANBU inevitably began to think of retreating. But just then, their Sixth Mizukage, Chōjūrō, arrived.
Having caught the scent of blood, he had hurried over. He looked at the fallen ANBU ninjas on the ground, their scattered bloodstains fading beneath the rain.
Chōjūrō felt fury rising inside him. He drew Hiramekarei from his back and poured chakra into it, turning the single weapon into two.
"Shigumeka eitsujonbio." After uttering those oddly sweet-sounding words, Chōjūrō immediately unleashed a combination of techniques.
"Hiramekarei: Release!"
"Hiramekarei: Blood Mist Blade Dance: Bone Removal!"
Gas streamed from Hiramekarei's two round holes. Then the entire weapon glowed blue, shooting several spikes of light toward the Masked Man.
But then something bizarre happened. The spikes of light did not strike the Masked Man. Instead, they passed straight through his body.
Chōjūrō stared, dumbfounded. How could I still not hit him?
Chōjūrō shook his head in disbelief and decided to