"Concentrate your firepower! Take out that brat with the sword first!"
On the rock face, the bandit leader Viper's chilling voice echoed through the canyon. Instantly, more hidden weapons rained down on the rocky corner where Shira was hiding, including several hissing Kunai with Explosive Tag attached!
With his back against the rock, Shira held his breath and focused, relying on his keen hearing and combat intuition to judge the trajectory of the attacks. His figure moved like a ghost, dodging quickly in a small area, his longsword transforming into a screen of light, deflecting the unavoidable poison darts with a series of clangs.
But the enemy's firepower was too intense, suppressing him to the point where he could barely lift his head, let alone retaliate.
" Shira!" Reppu voice pierced through the noise, "Hold on for five breaths!"
Before the words were even finished, Reppu form swiftly Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and his chest bulged high—" Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
call--!
A fierce gust of wind roared from his mouth, not to attack the enemies above Shira, but to stir up a large amount of sand and dust from the ground, forming a turbid sandstorm that swept towards the area above the rock wall where Shira was located!
This isn't a particularly powerful offensive Ninjutsu, but its strength lies in its wide range and strong disruptive effect!
The sandstorm instantly obscured the bandits' vision above, halting their precise long-range attacks.
"Now! Sada, Sasori!" Reppu shouted.
"Understood!" The puppet masters, who had been waiting in ambush, moved simultaneously.
The elder brother Sada, had a calm gaze, and suddenly the Chakra Threads his ten fingers tightened! The bird-shaped puppet " Vulture " he controlled flapped its wings, and dozens of fine, hair-like poison needles shot out from under its wings!
"Secret Technique: Thousand Feather Needles!" The poisoned needles, mixed with the sand and dust stirred up by the Reppu, shot silently towards an area above, covering a very wide area.
"Ahhh!" Two screams of agony immediately rang out from the sandstorm, clearly indicating that some bandits had been caught in the crossfire.
His younger brother Sasori, was even more ruthless. The scorpion-shaped puppet he controlled, " Scorpion Needle," plunged its poisonous hook into the ground! " Earth Release: Rock Stealing Stick!" he shouted, Chakra into the ground through the puppet.
Several seemingly solid sections of the rock face above suddenly collapsed, creating several craters. Two bandits who were peering out to search for their target were caught off guard, screaming as they fell and crashed into the rubble, where they were hacked to death by the caravan guards below.
The brothers' coordinated attack instantly disrupted the bandits' concentrated suppression of Shira and even caused casualties.
"Well done!" Asuka's figure flashed in the shadows of the other rock wall. Despite his young age, he was incredibly agile, using the sandstorm created by the Reppu and his comrades as cover to silently infiltrate the enemy's flank. "Watch this! Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
He Hand Seals and spat out several sharp, small wind blades from his mouth, precisely slicing towards the weak points in the rock where the bandits were hiding!
"Crack!" Several rocks were cut in half by the wind blades and rolled down. Although they didn't hit anyone, they forced the bandits to leave their cover and reveal their position.
"You're asking for death!" A burly bandit with a face full of scars roared as he leaped out of his hiding place, wielding a heavy axe, and swung it down at Asuka, who had just finished using Ninjutsu and seemed to be Asuka! He thought Asuka was young and easy to bully.
"Watch out, Asuka!" cried the Sasori below.
Asuka remained calm, a sly glint in her eyes, and Hand Seals once more—" Clone Technique!"
Bang! A flash of white smoke appeared, and three identical " Asuka " appeared on the spot, fleeing in different directions!
"A mere trick!" The axe-wielding bandit was taken aback, then grinned maliciously and chased after one of them, slashing down with his axe! "Poof!" The clone vanished.
"Behind us!" another bandit warned. The axe-wielding bandit whirled around, only to see another " Asuka " making faces at him. Enraged, he swung his axe, but missed again!
Meanwhile, the real Asuka, taking advantage of the moment the clone confused him, darted like a raccoon into the giant axe bandit's blind spot, and Kunai stabbed his armpit with a kunai!
The bandit reacted quickly, managing to turn sideways, but the Kunai slashed his arm, drawing a trail of blood.
"You little bastard!" The bandit, in pain, became even more enraged.
Just then, Shira, whose pressure had eased slightly, made a move! Instead of rushing upwards, he turned his gaze to the deepest part of the canyon, to the narrowest section of the " One-Line Sky " path.
Captain Reppu's earlier warning and the bandits' current frenzy made him realize that there was likely an even bigger trap there! Someone had to clear it or warn of the danger! Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable!
He was, after all, the most mobile member of the team, compared to the others, because he had the Seven Heavens Breathing Method, which he could unleash at any time, as a backup.
"Captain! I'll go scout ahead! There might be an ambush!" Shira shouted, giving Reppu no time to object, her figure already shooting out like an arrow!
Instead of charging in a straight line, he used the protrusions of the rock face and the camels for cover, advancing at high speed in a zigzag pattern, his longsword occasionally deflecting stray arrows.
" Shira! Don't rush in!" Reppu shouted urgently, but Shira was too fast and had already covered some distance. He immediately made a decision. " Sada, provide fire support for the area in front of Shira! Sasori, keep an eye on the flanks and prevent enemy interception! Asuka, entangle that big guy and don't let him interfere with Shira!"
The order was clear and decisive, and the team members carried it out immediately.
Sada, controlling " Vulture," once again fired his poisonous stinger, covering the area in front of Shira where enemies might be hiding. Sasori's " Scorpion Needle," like a real venomous scorpion, moved swiftly across the rock walls and ground, its poisonous hook poised to strike, intimidating the restless bandits.
With her agile movements, Asuka continuously attacked the giant axe bandit with Shuriken and harassing wind blades, preventing him from escaping.
With unwavering focus, Shira pushed his speed to the limit, his physical prowess honed through years of training supporting his explosive burst of speed. Soon, he reached the vicinity of the " One-Line Sky " entrance.
Sure enough! He spotted the cleverly placed tripwires, the disguised traps, and the massive boulders piled up on the rock face above, barely secured with ropes! If the caravan were to rashly venture in, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"There's a trap..." He was about to turn around to warn them when suddenly something unexpected happened!
From behind a huge rock to the side, a short, stocky figure, as big as a bear, roared and pounced out—it was the bandit " Giant Rock "! He had been lying in ambush here all along!
The terrifying giant iron hammer in his hand swept horizontally towards Shira's waist with a whistling sound! This hammer blow was powerful and covered a wide area. Shira was at the end of her sprint, where her old strength had been exhausted and her new strength had not yet been generated, making it extremely difficult for her to dodge!
"Die, you brat!" A ferocious grin spread across Giant Rock's face.
" Shira!" The gazes of Reppu and the others from afar were filled with rage!
In the critical moment, a fierce glint flashed in Shira's eyes. Instead of dodging or avoiding, he stomped his foot hard, forcibly stopping his forward momentum. His body, using inertia, inexplicably leaned backward, and the iron hammer, carrying a strong wind, swept past the tip of his nose!
At the same time, he drew his Kunai with lightning speed with his left hand and stabbed it hard into the ground to stabilize his backward body. With his right hand, he swung his longsword from bottom to top with a sharp "slash" technique, aiming at the gaping hole in the Giant Rock's ribs exposed by the hammer blow!
"What?!" Giant Rock hadn't expected Shira to be so fierce. In his haste to parry, it was too late, and he could only barely twist his body.
"Swoosh!" The sword blade sliced through the leather armor, leaving a shallow gash on his ribs. Giant Rock groaned in pain, his attack slowing.
Taking advantage of the situation, Shira performed a backflip to create distance, her longsword pointing diagonally, her eyes coldly fixed on this powerful enemy. She had just risked an attack, and although she had scratched her opponent, her arm had also been hit by the hammer's wind, leaving it numb and tingling.
This guy's strength is terrifying! I'm still a growing kid, so it's normal that I'm not as strong as him, but I have an advantage—speed.
Shira beckoned to the Giant Rock: "Come here!"
"You damned brat!" Giant Rock, rubbing the wound on his ribs, grew even more enraged and swung his giant hammer, lunging forward once more.
In the middle of the canyon, the battle situation changed due to Shira's departure and the appearance of the Giant Rock.
Seeing Shira entangled by the Giant Rock, the bandit leader " Viper " gleamed with a murderous glint in his eyes. "Good opportunity! Concentrate our forces and take out those ninjas first! Leave that Chunin to me and Shipi!"
With a swift movement, like a true venomous snake, he silently slid down the rock face, heading straight for the Reppu that was directing the entire scene!
At the same time, the " Shipi " who was good at hiding reappeared above the rock wall, and the poisoned Shuriken in his hand shot towards Reppu's vital points like the forked tongue of a venomous snake!
Reppu was instantly surrounded by two experienced missing-nin! Sada Sasori and Asuka were also entangled with other bandits and unable to provide timely support!
The battle situation instantly became even more dangerous! Shira was dragged by the Giant Rock at the entrance of the " One-Line Sky ", Reppu encountered a powerful enemy, and the pressure on the caravan and the other ninjas increased sharply!