Shira practically dragged herself back, her body feeling as heavy as lead. With every breath, her lungs burned, and the metallic taste of blood in her throat wouldn't go away.
His mind was buzzing, one moment filled with the image of Giant Rock's wide, lifeless eyes, the next with the teeth-grinding resistance of a sword piercing flesh. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the shouts of battle ahead.
When he rushed back to the main battlefield, the scene before him made his heart tighten.
Captain Reppu's vest was ripped in several places and was bleeding. He was leaning against a protruding rock, breathing heavily, and his kunai Kunai to block " Viper's " cunning and venomous thrusts.
Not far away, the short, stocky figure of " Shipi " had just emerged from the shadow of a rock wall, a poisoned dart clutched in his hand, his eyes like poisoned nails, searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Reppu.
The brothers, Sada and Sasori, stood back to back, their faces pale. The " Vulture " and " Scorpion Needle " controlled by their Chakra Threads moved noticeably slower, no longer as agile and deadly as before. They were more like two exhausted metal beasts, struggling to withstand the attack of three or four bloodthirsty bandits. The puppet shells had many fresh cuts and chisels.
Asuka was in even greater danger. Being young, he was exhausted and his movements were not as swift as before. He was cornered by a bandit wielding a scimitar and could only roll around in a sorry state to dodge, narrowly escaping being struck by the blade several times.
"Boss! There's no movement from the Giant Rock!" one of the bandits on lookout duty suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, his voice filled with panic.
"What?!" One of the Scarface bandits who was besieging the puppet brothers paused, turned his head to look in the direction of " One-Line Sky ", and sure enough, he only saw dust, not the familiar huge figure and roar.
His expression changed, and when he saw Shira rushing back with a blood-dripping sword, her steps faltering but her eyes chillingly cold, the fierceness in his heart instantly vanished.
"Damn it! The wind's getting strong! Get out of here!" Scarface was the first to shout, feinting with his sword to force back the " Scorpion Needle's " stinger, then turned and dashed desperately into the depths of the canyon! His run was like toppling the first domino; the other two bandits who were attacking him exchanged a glance, also shouted, abandoned the Sada Sasori, and followed him into the pile of rocks, wishing they had two more legs.
They were just a bunch of desperate outlaws, good at taking advantage of favorable situations and robbing easy targets. Seeing that the fiercest Giant Rock might fall, and that little devil with the sword had returned, and that even the two strongest leaders couldn't take down that tough Chunin for the time being, why would they risk their lives? Survival was the priority!
"Damn it! Don't run!" Sasori cursed angrily, wanting to give chase, but his brother Sada grabbed him. "Don't chase a desperate enemy! Help the captain first!" Sada's voice was hoarse, but steady.
The two brothers immediately manipulated their puppets, turning them towards the battle group on Reppu's side. Instead of killing the enemy, they used dense poison needles and harassing attacks to force " Viper " and " Shipi " back, giving Reppu a chance to catch his breath.
Shira rushed forward as well. He didn't immediately join the attack on the two missing-nin. Instead, he swept his gaze across the area, gritted his teeth, and growled, " Seven Heavens Breathing Method - First Activation, Activate!"
Buzz! The aura around his body surged slightly. Although it wasn't as violent as the Second Activation, the heavy feeling of fatigue was forcibly dispelled a bit. His sore arms regained some strength, and his breathing became smoother.
He pushed off with his foot, not attacking the treacherous " Viper," but instead lunging straight at " Shipi," who had just appeared and was somewhat distracted by the fleeing of his companions!
"You're asking for death!" Shipi's eyes flashed with ferocity as he saw Shira charging towards him. He was confident in his Earth Release techniques for defense and concealment and didn't take Shira, who was clearly exhausted, too seriously. He slammed his hands on the ground. " Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" A low but thick earthen wall instantly rose up, blocking the way between him and Shira.
At the same time, he slid his body into the shadows to the side and rear, preparing to use the " Camouflage Concealment Technique " again.
However, Shira's goal was not to crash into the wall at all. The instant the earthen wall rose, he suddenly hurled his blood-stained longsword, along with two Kunai held in his left hand, with all the strength he gained from the First Activation Enhancement, in two directions that Shipi might dodge! He didn't aim to hit, but only to block and mark!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Clang!"
The longsword and Kunai pierced the rock wall or bounced off, but they did force Shipi's figure to pause and be exposed for a moment!
"Now! Captain!" Shira shouted hoarsely, then suddenly bent down, grabbed the last few Shuriken from her ninja tool bag, and threw them at " Viper " without even looking, making the most direct interference.
On the other side, Reppu, under the cover of the Sada Sasori puppets, had just caught his breath. His face was covered in blood and ash. He heard Shira's shout, saw Shipi's figure revealed as he dodged thrown weapons, and glimpsed " Viper " swinging a poisoned Kunai to deflect the Shuriken shot by Shira, revealing a slight opening...
Almost instantly, he understood what Shira's seemingly random shout meant—to create an opportunity to win in one decisive blow! This Genin kid was desperately trying to create an opening for him to unleash a powerful Ninjutsu without fear of being interrupted!
Without hesitation, Reppu raised his hands instantly, his fingers interlacing and clasping with dazzling speed—
" Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
He took a deep breath, his chest bulged, and a surge of intense Chakra gathered in his throat before he exhaled it forcefully forward!
A massive fireball, blazing intensely and two to three meters in diameter, burst forth with terrifying heat capable of incinerating everything, and crashed towards the area where " Viper " and " Shipi " were located!
The Kakkō illuminated the dim canyon, turning the rock walls a fiery red, and even the air seemed to distort!
"What?!" Viper and Shipi's expressions changed drastically at the same time! They hadn't expected that this Sunagakure Chunin could unleash such a large-scale Fire Style technique in an instant after such a long battle! Viper, in particular, had just knocked Shuriken and his breathing hadn't even settled when the fireball was already in front of him, and he couldn't dodge in time! Even the Substitution Technique couldn't save him!
"Damn it!" Shipi, being a former Iwagakure Ninja, had Earth Release techniques ingrained in his very being. In this life-or-death situation, he roared, abandoning his concealment, slamming his hands into the ground, and unleashing a torrent of Chakra from his entire body. " Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!"
Rumble! A solid earthen wall, several times thicker and taller than before, rose from the ground, blocking him from the fireball! This was his trump card for survival, a move that consumed a great deal of energy.
As for Shira, the instant he unleashed the fireball with the Reppu Hand Seals, he suddenly darted forward a few steps, and then... he made a move that astonished everyone.
He frantically waved his hands in front of him a few times, completely disorganized, then, as if using all Reppu strength, he opened his mouth, his chest heaving violently like a Great Fireball, and then—
"Ha--!!!"
Shira didn't Hand Seals or show any Chakra fluctuations. He simply used his terrifying lung capacity, honed through Seven Heavens Breathing Method and far exceeding that of ordinary people, to blow a huge breath towards the back of the fireball!
That wasn't Wind Release; it was just a powerful, artificial gust of wind carrying the stench of his blood!
But the timing and angle of this "whirlwind" were absolutely perfect! It struck precisely the tail of the already flying Great Fireball, propelled by the Reppu!
call--!
The already blazing and violent Great Fireball seemed to have been suddenly pushed from behind. Although its size did not expand significantly, its speed suddenly increased! The fire also seemed to be injected with more air, burning even more violently and wildly! The color of the flames even shifted slightly from orange-red to a dazzling bright white!
"What the hell?!" Even Reppu himself was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flashed with disbelief. He instantly understood the meaning of Shira's "pretending to Hand Seals " and "blowing out"—using the most primitive and unexpected method to give his Great Fireball a final, crucial "acceleration" and "fueling"!
"Well done!!!" Sasori couldn't help but shout excitedly.
In the blink of an eye, the super Great Fireball, propelled by the "boost," slammed into the " Earth Flow Rampart " he had hastily erected at a speed far exceeding Shipi's expectations!
Rumble rumble rumble--!!!
A deafening explosion echoed through the canyon! The sturdy earthen wall held out for only a moment under the impact of the blazing flames before it shattered and melted! The shattered earth and rocks were instantly incinerated into lava-like particles by the high temperature, scattering everywhere! The scorching heatwave, like a solid wall, swept wildly in all directions!
"Ugh--!" Shipi was the first to be hit. Although he managed to buy a tiny moment by using the earthen wall to fly backward, he was still hit hard by the shock wave of the explosion and the flying lava fragments!
His makeshift armor instantly turned black and deformed, and he was blasted away like a rag doll, crashing heavily into the rock wall behind him before sliding softly down, his body charred and smoking, his fate unknown.
The cunning " Viper," being a fraction of a second slower in reaction and lacking defensive Ninjutsu like Shipi, was still struck by the expanded edge of the flames and the violent shockwave despite its desperate attempt to fly backward!
"Sizzle--!"
His clothes instantly burst into flames, and a terrible acrid smell emanated from his skin. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, and fell from mid-air like a human torch, rolling wildly on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
With lightning speed, Sada immediately controlled the " Vulture " to shoot out a cloud of specially made fire-extinguishing sand, which barely covered the fire on his body. However, the man was already curled up there, only exhaling and not inhaling. His whole body was severely burned, a gruesome sight.
The flames slowly dissipated, leaving behind a nauseating mixture of scorched earth, sulfur, and burnt flesh in the air.
An eerie silence fell over the canyon, broken only by the crackling of embers and the suppressed groans of the wounded.
Shira's legs went weak, and he could no longer support himself. He collapsed to the ground with a thud. The First Activation automatically ended, and a deeper sense of exhaustion and despair overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
He gasped for breath, looking at the devastated battlefield before him, a scene of utter chaos, like a living hell. He saw the charred remains, the scattered weapons, and the two figures, one charred and the other curled up in fear. His stomach churned again.
He did it; together with his captain and teammates, he defeated the strongest enemy.
But the taste of victory... is a complex mix of blood, burnt smell, and the exhaustion of surviving a catastrophe, indescribable.
Reppu, leaning on his Kunai, his chest heaving violently, his face pale, had unleashed Great Fireball of that magnitude, and with the "assistance" he received, it had also taken a huge toll on his Chakra and stamina.
He looked at Shira, who was sitting on the ground panting, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, lingering fear, and above all, admiration. This kid doesn't know Ninjutsu, but that "assist" he just gave was simply divine.
Kou Ai Kou Ya, Shira got the MVP!
The Sada Sasori brothers, controlling their battered puppets, slowly approached, warily scanning their surroundings to make sure no one had escaped. Asuka also limped Earth Flow, his face streaked with black and white, and a deep knife wound on his arm, but his eyes shone with a frightening light. He looked at Shira, then at the two incapacitated missing-nin, grinned, wanting to laugh, but then gasped as the movement aggravated his wounds.
It's over. This sudden ambush in the canyon ended with the bandits fleeing and their leader being killed.
The cost was that 5 out of 30 members of the caravan were killed or wounded, and almost all the porters and guards were injured. The entire Sunagakure squad was wounded, their Chakra and stamina were almost depleted, their puppets were damaged, and most of their ninja tools were used up.
Reppu slowly straightened up, wiping the blood and ash from his face. His voice was hoarse but steady as he spoke, "Clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and take stock of the losses. Sada, keep watch. Asuka, treat your wounds. Shira..." He looked at Shira, who was sitting on the ground with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes, and paused, "Well done. Rest first."
Shira nodded blankly, his gaze sweeping over the direction where the Giant Rock had collapsed not far away before quickly looking away. He hugged his knees tightly, burying his face in them, only his slightly trembling shoulders showing.
I won. But why do I feel so heavy and empty inside?
The wind in the canyon, carrying the scent of gunpowder and death, howled as it blew through.