Chapter 31: Three Against One? The Advantage is Mine!
A clear shout rang out.
The kunai in the girl's hand expanded rapidly, transforming into a 60-centimeter water blade.
This was a technique that condensed chakra-infused water to form a rotating liquid sword—similar to the Second Hokage Tobirama's Water Style: Water Severing Wave.
In the next instant, she hurled the water blade forward. With a sharp clang, it struck the black spear mid-flight with tremendous force.
The spear's trajectory shifted slightly, whistling past Tsukasa's face by mere inches.
Then—
Water Style: Sliding Technique!
The girl crouched low, her palms touching the ground as two spheres of water formed beneath her feet, drastically reducing friction with the surface. She slid rapidly beneath the falling Tsukasa.
In one fluid motion, she caught him in a princess carry.
Tsukasa couldn't help but feel momentarily dazed as a sweet fragrance filled his senses—like ocean hibiscus blossoms carried on a sea breeze.
Before he could fully process what had happened,
the Jashin cult leader's expression darkened murderously. He fixed his gaze on this uninvited intruder, drew two more jet-black spears, planted his feet firmly, and formed the Snake hand seal, preparing to unleash some devastating ninjutsu.
"What are you doing? Are you planning to escape or not?"
The girl's emerald eyes narrowed as she glanced down at the stunned Tsukasa in her arms, her brow furrowing in disapproval. Without ceremony, she practically flung him aside, nearly sending him sprawling.
Then she formed hand seals with both hands:
Ox-Snake-Ram.
Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!
Thick white mist rapidly spread outward, engulfing the entire village square.
Tsukasa felt his hand being grasped by soft fingers, and the girl's voice, clear as silver bells, whispered urgently in his ear:
"Let's go!"
"Go?" Tsukasa looked up at the hooded girl before him. A strand of her reddish-brown hair had escaped, fluttering around her ear like sunset clouds painting the sky crimson.
He quickly snapped back to reality, his brow furrowing as he pulled his hand free and climbed to his feet.
"I can't leave!"
When he'd initially blocked that jet-black spear to protect little Yuko, his palm had been sliced open by the blade.
Now his blood was scattered right here on the ground. The Jashin cultists could simply retrieve the spear he'd thrown or scrape his blood from the earth to cast their deadliest curse: Death Controlling Possessed Blood!
Tsukasa couldn't gamble on whether these enemies knew the Jashin Cult's signature technique.
If he fled now and was killed remotely, it might be classified as suicide.
Those five hundred million ryō would be lost forever!
From the moment he'd stepped forward, Tsukasa had never considered retreat as an option.
In the next moment, his eyes blazed with fierce determination, his crimson Sharingan spinning rapidly.
He formed hand seals with both hands, then decisively slammed them to the ground!
Super Death Battle Barrier!
This jutsu, newly acquired from his recent encounter, was perfectly suited for this situation!
A pale red barrier instantly expanded, sealing the three Jashin cult members inside with Tsukasa!
The translucent dome stretched high into the sky, forcibly ejecting everyone else from the square.
"This is my solo battle!"
Tsukasa rose from the ground, his lips curling into an excited grin as he gazed into the swirling white mist before him.
Using his crimson Sharingan to track the three enemies moving within the fog, his eyes narrowed slightly as he sneered:
"You like sneak attacks, do you?"
"Perfect! Let's begin round two!"
The girl who had aided Tsukasa at the crucial moment found herself expelled from the barrier, her face filled with shock. She watched him rise within the sealed dome and gritted her teeth in frustration.
Was he completely insane?
She'd already helped create a perfect escape opportunity, yet instead of running, he'd trapped himself inside with three Jashin cult members.
He was literally throwing his life away!
Hidan, also blocked outside the barrier, stood frozen in disbelief before shouting desperately:
"Tsukasa, have you lost your mind?!"
"If you attack the Jashin masters, everyone in this village will be slaughtered!"
"Besides, you're just a genin! You can't possibly defeat them!"
Hearing this, Tsukasa's eyes narrowed slightly. Then he turned his back, raised his thumb in a confident gesture, and laughed loudly:
"Don't worry! They can't break out of this barrier until I'm dead!"
"Hidan, use this chance to get everyone to safety!"
Without waiting for Hidan's reply, Tsukasa immediately began circling his opponents through the mist.
The red glow of his Sharingan traced brilliant arcs through the white fog.
Thanks to that mysterious girl's timely intervention, he'd avoided critical injury. Her Hidden Mist Technique now gave him the perfect opportunity to outmaneuver his enemies.
Meanwhile, the Jashin cult leader sensed the situation growing troublesome.
He calmly instructed his subordinates:
"He has the Sharingan, which gives him a visual advantage in these conditions."
"But we outnumber him! Three against one—the advantage is ours!"
"Mato, use Wind Style to clear this fog. Takeshi, guard the perimeter and cover me."
"I'll collect that brat's blood and use Death Controlling Possessed Blood to cripple his legs!"
"Then we finish him!"
With those words, the cult leader immediately rushed toward the pitch-black spear embedded in the ground nearby.
The cultist known as Mato began forming hand seals to prepare his Wind Style technique.
But then—
Suddenly!
Three dark shapes pierced through the white mist, hurtling toward all three men!
"What are those? Rocks?"
The three men gasped in surprise, quickly stepping back as their techniques were interrupted.
But these weren't ordinary stones!
This was the mastery of Uchiha Style: Shuriken Manipulation Technique!
In Tsukasa's hands, anything could become a deadly projectile.
Moving through the mist like a phantom, Tsukasa gathered stones and sharp branches from the ground. He even retrieved the pitch-black spear and launched it at his enemies!
The initial three stones only mildly surprised his opponents,
but the barrage that followed immediately struck terror into their hearts!
In just ten seconds, Tsukasa had collected and hurled over thirty stones and more than a dozen sharpened branches.
A dense wall of projectiles blanketted the area!
Have you ever seen bullet-hell combat in action?
Hidden among the countless rocks and branches, that jet-black spear shot forward with hurricane force!
The cult leader's pupils contracted in horror.
Beside him, Mato—who had been about to complete his hand seals and unleash Wind Style to turn the tide—was pierced clean through the chest by the black spear with a wet thunk!
He collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
But this wasn't the end!
Tsukasa landed in a crouch, his hands already flying through hand seals!
Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger!
Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
Six fireballs roared to life, baring fangs and claws as they lunged forward!
Immediately afterward,
he pulled three ninja wire strings from his equipment pouch, tied stones to each one, and hurled them at the remaining cultists!
Then, his hands formed new seals:
Snake-Dragon-Rabbit-Tiger!
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!
With a curved finger gesture, dragon-shaped flames erupted, dancing along the wires as they surged toward his two remaining enemies!
"Damn it! What the hell is wrong with this kid?!"
The cult leader gasped, his eyes wide with horror as he desperately threw himself to the ground.
His heart pounded with inexplicable shock.
How is this brat so incredibly skilled?!
"You think three people are ganging up on me?!"
Under the horrified gazes of the two surviving cultists, Tsukasa sneered with disdain:
"Pathetic!"
"I'm just one person, and I've got you surrounded!"
*End of Chapter
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