56 Hunter of Hunters (8)

The surprise attacks, which were even more surprising due to their merciless nature of uncaring for the lives of civilians, had brought a crisis within the midnight. The intense beams of lightning caused the collapse of the entire inn, and brought forth painful screams and terrified cries.

Those who were able to move hurriedly ran away. The ones who were crushed under the ruined parts of the inn, desperately moved their available limbs, trying to get themselves out. Few succeeded, but most weren't.

Poof Poof!

And In this dust-covered ruination, here I lied, unscathed, as my ash clones lost their forms and burst into smoke due to the impact of the previous attacks.

'A close one,' I thought as I assessed my current circumstance, in which I was surrounded by ten enigmatic ninjas wearing masks and black cloaks.

Not even a single word. Yet, there existed a tension, enough such that I didn't have any attention to spend on the pleas of the civilians. Unfortunately for them, my life was more important than theirs to me.

'These ten ninjas,' Gazing at my enemies, I thought with a suspicion, 'their coordinated movements and still bodies; it's as if they are robots—

—hang on, robot?' My mind drifted back to the stoic man whom I met in the ramen stall previously,

'That man's information drove me to Kakuzu's location. Kakuzu, according to the letter that I acquired from the bounty hunters whom I killed, is after my bounty. If I were to assume that that man I saw in the ramen stall is one of these ten, there lies the possibility of there being a mutualistic relationship between this group and Kakuzu.'

Just as I finished my thoughts, I witnessed one among the ten rapidly forming hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball technique!"

I immediately stepped to my right to dodge a fireball that was spat out at me, before,

CLANG!

parrying a shuriken, that was thrown at me from my blind spot, with a kunai of my own.

Subsequently, I flipped out a small scroll from my pouch with my left hand, while forming quick series of one-hand seals with my right hand.

Swoosh! While both my hands are occupied, I leaned back to dodge a punch thrown by one ninja who dashed at me, before leaping back to avoid a kick from another ninja.

"Lightning Release," My mouth blowed up as I formed a one-hand tiger seal with my right hand.

Two among the enemies, having seen my action, quickly formed hand seals.

""Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!""

Such an action was based on their instincts, that wind is strong against the lightning. However, what I currently was preparing wasn't a Lightning Release technique. Instead,

'Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!'

the strong gusts of wind were met with numerous balls of fire, which vigorously devoured the wind in an instant.

One cloaked enemy shouted upon gazing at the monstrous fire that was approaching them, "Dodge—"

but unfortunately, there was barely any time for that ninja to dodge.

BOOM! While the nine others managed to escape at the last moment, one received the full blow of my enhanced fire.

Poof! And now, my left hand was holding onto Ryuma, the sword that has been with me for quite some time by now.

"I assume that you know who I am," I said calmly as I looked at the nine enemies, who didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that one of them has just been burned into ashes, "but for what reason are you targeting me? Bounty just as any other?"

'Nine more to go,' I thought, 'but the continuation of this fight in an open space like this, will serve as nothing but a disadvantage for me.'

I leisurely spun Ryuma in my left hand, before tightly grabbing it by the hilt and swinging backward to quickly parry a kunai thrown at me.

Nine ninjas surrounding me all took out a kunai from their sleeves, and dashed at me simultaneously.

Ducking low to let one fly past me from above, I then jumped up to avoid a leg swipe by another. Immediately after, I swung Ryuma in a circular morion around me,

CLANG CLANG CLANG!

parrying three ninjas' kunais at once.

Then, watching as two other ninjas came running at me from left and right, I leaned back to let a thrown kunai slip past me, before stabbing Ryuma on the ground.

'Ryujin Jakka.'

BOOOOM! Upon the sudden surge of potent fire into the ground from Ryuma, the ground around me exploded, knocking everyone around the area of impact, including me.

While in midair, I stepped on top of one flying chunk of earth, and propelled myself at one ninja who was rapidly forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Gun!"

I met the jet stream of water with my still-ablazed Ryuma, generating a thick layer of steam that surrounded me.

And from here,

'Clone technique.' I quickly formed six different basic illusory clones,

Poof Poof Poof Poof Poof Poof!

followed by,

'Transformation technique.'

Quickly placing an illusion on myself, 'transforming' into Ryuma, held by one of my illusory clones.

Then, the clone holding me dashed downward at the ninja who was approaching me from below, instead of the one who used the Water Release technique. The five other clones travelled in different directions, and I tell you—

"Keugh—!" The ninja had his heart stabbed by my clone holding me—which essentially was me stabbing that ninja with Ryuma while I was transformed into Ruma—coughed out the blood, painting his mask red.

—in this dark night, it will be more difficult to distinguish even the basic clone from the original.

Swoosh! The other shinobis swung their kunais at my clones, only for them to phase through. The ninja that I just killed fell to the ground, with the blood oozing out from the ground below.

"...Your strength is far above what the intel told." One of my enemies then spoke up in a monotone, while landing back on the ground, "Were you intentionally hiding your true capability during the battle against Gale Brothers?"

The seven other enemies, surrounding my clone who's holding me as Ryuma, once again began to form hand seals at the same time.

The clone, while acting exhaustion by huffing rapidly, narrowed his lone eye at the shinobi who just spoke, as if gauging that man as the leader of the group. Then he threw Ryuma—me—at the man.

Swoosh! Ryuma, or I, flew past the man as he effortlessly dodged by tilting his head.

"Getting desperate now, aren't we?" Not even looking back at the sword, or me, that was just thrown, the leader stated.

And when he said so,

""""Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!""""

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

""Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!""

The seven ninjas poured out the ninjutsu techniques of three different elements at my clone.

BOOOOOOM!

The wind intensified the degree of fire. The fire of enhanced ferocity merged with lightning to form a dense energy that exhibited nothing but incredible heat, which then exploded magnificently, causing the demolition of the spot where my clone was standing.

What about me now, you say?

SWOOSH!

I have gotten out of my transformation, and while the enemies were occupied with my clone, I swung Ryuma at the supposed leader of the group, severing the shinobi's head.

Thud.

By the time the leader's head dropped to the floor, I was gone into the forest behind the village, hiding from the remaining seven.

The remaining seven emotionlessly looked at their fallen teammate, then turned their head to where I have disappeared in a robotic manner; they didn't seem to mind at all.

'Again, strange,' I thought as the enemies began to chase me into the forest, 'it's as if they are incapable of feeling any emotion.'

While dashing from branch to branch, I encased Ryuma with sharp wind, and effortlessly cut few tree trunks, causing them to fall onto the enemies.

"""Earth Release,""" Three shinobis on my back formed snake seals, before slamming their hands on the ground, """Earth Corridor!"""

The ground rumbled, before the moderate-sized dome rose and surrounded them,

Boom Boom Boom!

preventing the seven of them from being crushed under the huge trees, but at the same time...

'Leaving themselves open in front of me,' I thought as I stood some distance away from the earth dome, with Ryuma reignited with the potent flame.

Swoo...

The air around Ryuma formed vortex upon my operation of Wind Release. The fire vigorously ate away the nearby air, and became intensified into an extreme blue fire.

Now, holding Ryuma in a reverse grip and lowering my stance, I placed the tip of scorching Ryuma on the ground, generating the unpleasant scorching sound.

"Iaido,"

Upon the earth dome being retracted back, revealing seven enemies, I dashed,

"Blaze Rend."

The blue fire, in an instant, enveloped the vulnerable seven shinobis at once, as I slashed through seven of them within a nick of time.

Tap.

By the time I reached a stop, there was a huge trail of blue fire behind my path, with my enemies falling down one by one with their entire bodies being burnt down into ashes.

"Hu..." Stabbing Ryuma down on the ground as its fire died down, I took a breather, feeling tired from the intense fight after the use of the Shadow Clone technique.

'But no time to rest,' I pulled Ryuma back up as my breath calmed down, and was about to jump up, 'I have to get out of this place as soon as possible—'

BOOM!

before one man with thick eyebrows and a thick mustache, suddenly came into my view by being slammed into the nearby wood.

"Ugh..." That man, without a doubt, was in a bad condition. There were bruises all over his body, his attire was ripped and damaged, and the exposed skin had blood oozing out of it.

Then, the casual footsteps of someone walking were heard, and,

"Hello there... Akashi."

Kakuzu has entered the scene.