"If humans had hunted you with these things too, you'd remember them just as clearly."
As if recalling something, the Six-Armed Monster spoke with a lingering trace of fear. Its eyes swept over Uchiha Naruto. "And pistols, assault rifles, submachine guns... Isn't using all sorts of guns and bombs what you humans do best? So many monsters have been killed that way."
The more Uchiha Naruto heard, the stranger it seemed. This Six-Armed Monster appeared to have suffered at human hands.
But weren't monsters supposed to fight supernatural beings like Onmyoji, Miko, and monks? Why did it sound as though their main enemies were humans armed with modern weapons?
Still, it was already the twenty-first century. Perhaps times really had changed, and staffs just weren't as useful as guns anymore.
A talking monster was a rare find, though. This was a good opportunity to learn about the monster world and the supernatural forces in this world, so Uchiha Naruto didn't interrupt. Instead, he followed its lead.
"Rest assured, I don't have any guns or bombs on me. For a small-fry monster like you, this sword in my hand is enough."
"Bullshit! How could a human with a sword possibly stand against a monster?" The contempt in Uchiha Naruto's voice enraged the Six-Armed Monster.
Uchiha Naruto smiled unconcernedly and asked another question. "You really are ugly. What race of monster are you? I've never seen a monster described in any book that looks anything like you."
At those words, the Six-Armed Monster looked as though it had heard something inconceivable. Its face instantly twisted into a savage expression.
"Race? You actually asked such a stupid question? You don't even know the most basic facts. You're definitely not from the Metropolitan Police Department, and you can't be with the Self-Defense Forces either. Who the hell are you?"
Did I give myself away? Looks like I shouldn't have asked that.
Uchiha Naruto clicked his tongue and slowly drew his sword from its sheath. Rather than probing with words, it seemed more efficient to beat this Six-Armed Monster half to death first, then interrogate it.
The Six-Armed Monster also noticed Uchiha Naruto's hostile expression. It immediately spread its six abnormally long arms and splayed its fingers. As though they had heard a bugle call, the abandoned mannequins in the clothing section twisted their limbs and rose from the floor one after another.
"No wonder you ran here. These mannequins are your soldiers."
Uchiha Naruto calmly watched the dozens of mannequins surrounding him and spoke in an even voice.
"Attack!"
The Six-Armed Monster began flailing about like one-no, three inept conductors standing onstage at once, and the mannequins scrambled to lunge at him.
Uchiha Naruto immediately cleaved the first mannequin in half from head to toe. Then he darted nimbly through their encirclement, never letting them so much as touch the hem of his Akatsuki cloak.
With a backhand slash, he cut off another mannequin's head, but the headless mannequin kept charging at him.
"I almost forgot. These aren't real people. They're already missing arms and legs, so cutting off their heads probably won't do much. I should chop them into smaller pieces."
He slashed diagonally downward from the right, cutting that mannequin in two from shoulder to waist.
In Japanese swordsmanship, this was called Kasagiri.
Of course, Uchiha Naruto knew absolutely nothing about swordsmanship. But with agility far beyond that of an ordinary person and a Chakra Samurai Sword that sliced through iron like butter, he still chopped the mannequins to pieces with ease. Severed plastic limbs littered the floor.
"There may be plenty of mannequins in this abandoned mall, but they aren't endless. That was the last one. What are you going to do now?"
After cutting the last mannequin through the torso along with both its arms, Uchiha Naruto flicked his sword toward the floor as though shaking off nonexistent blood, then looked up at the Six-Armed Monster on the chandelier.
"That's the end of your pathetic little puppet show..."
Uchiha Naruto bent his knees, ready to jump upward. Just then, he felt his entire body tighten from head to toe, as though countless fishing lines had wrapped around him. The harder he strained, the tighter they became.
The Six-Armed Monster spread its six arms and curled its fingers toward Uchiha Naruto, revealing a sinister, triumphant grin.
"I'll give you credit for cutting through so many mannequins with a sword. But how do you think I controlled them? I connected them with invisible threads made of yoki. While you were cutting the mannequins apart, I secretly wound their Yoki Threads around you."
"So you monsters call chakra yoki..."
Uchiha Naruto glanced down and spoke calmly, without a hint of panic.
What chakra? His indifferent tone startled the Six-Armed Monster, but it quickly regained its composure.
It had six arms and thirty fingers. Each strand of Yoki Threads released from a finger could suspend a weight of nearly fifty kilograms. Now thirty threads were wrapped around this young man. Unless he had the strength of an Asian elephant, he had no hope of breaking free.
All it had to do was pull with its six hands and tighten the Yoki Threads, and it could tear him to pieces in an instant. Why was he so calm?!
"Your little tricks never fooled me from the start. These eyes can see the color of chakra perfectly clearly!"
Uchiha Naruto abruptly raised his head toward the monster beneath the ceiling. His scarlet Sharingan shone with terrifying intensity in the darkness!
"Those eyes... You're a monster too?! No, how could there be a monster that looks almost exactly like a human? Just what are you?"
Shocked, the Six-Armed Monster instinctively curled its fingers, tightening the Yoki Threads to tear Uchiha Naruto apart.
Just then, with a puff, Uchiha Naruto, tightly bound by dozens of transparent threads, was replaced by half a mannequin!
Substitution Technique!
Freed from his bonds, Uchiha Naruto completed his hand seals in a flash, then opened his mouth and spat fierce flames along the threads.
"Dragon Fire Technique!"
Roaring flames raced up the threads, far faster than the earlier Great Fireball Technique. In the blink of an eye, they reached the Six-Armed Monster. Before it could sever the threads, the flames engulfed it!
Boom!
With a tremendous blast, flames splashed across the ceiling, lighting everything as brightly as day. The chandelier broke apart and crashed to the floor.
The explosion also blew off one of the Six-Armed Monster's arms. Severely wounded, it fell to the floor in a wretched heap. Just as it spread its other arms to struggle and flee, a figure landed hard on its face, pinning it beneath one foot.
Then, with several sharp swishes, five kunai flew from his hand, pinning all the Six-Armed Monster's remaining arms to the floor!
"How could a human breathe fire?! What the hell are you?"
"Who knows? An Onmyoji, or a swordmaster? Maybe even a ninja."
Before you continue