The Hyūga-brand Shuriken Firing Machine finally stopped.
Part of it was because Akira's arms were starting to ache.
But the main reason was simple—
Everyone standing in front of him was already dead beyond question.
Only a handful of bandits remained, sharp enough to hide behind trees and rocks.
"What a shame," Akira sighed regretfully. "Not enough power."
Even with chakra reinforcement, shuriken couldn't penetrate thick trees or solid stone.
But the bandits didn't dare come out anyway.
With that terrifying volume of shuriken, poking your head out meant instant death.
[EXP +328]
He had wiped out more than thirty people in one go.
Bandits really weren't worth much.
He glanced at the drops. Only he could see them—each item had a concrete form, faintly glowing.
He quickly picked everything up.
Mostly silver.
Even mosquito meat was still meat.
Shuriken weren't cheap, and his family savings were nearly gone. If he hadn't graduated and become a genin soon, he'd be eating dirt.
This money came at the perfect time.
[Silver: 96 taels]
"Finally broke even," Akira exhaled in relief. With this, he didn't need to live hand-to-mouth anymore.
Aside from money, there were also materials.
[Iron Ore ×3]
[Wool Thread ×2]
Useless to him. Crafting materials for life skills.
He tossed them into his inventory without a second thought.
The real prize—
Two pieces of equipment.
[Bandit's Left Leg Guard: Movement Speed +5]
[Bandit's Right Bracer: Strength +3]
"Bandit set…" Akira's eyes lit up. "Best starter gear."
He remembered that completing the set unlocked a skill:
[Cheap Shot] — forcibly silenced the target for three seconds.
Only worked on targets below level thirty, but early on, it was borderline broken.
He equipped both pieces immediately.
Clenching his fist, he felt power surge through his body and continued forward at speed.
As he passed a tree stump—
Akira suddenly stepped back.
A bandit burst out from behind a tree, blade slashing through empty air.
The man turned stiffly and gave Akira an awkward smile.
Akira returned one—polite, courteous.
Then slit his throat.
[EXP +12]
[Silver: 3 taels]
Akira kicked off the ground.
His speed increased noticeably, his body rising and falling like a phantom.
Bandits kept popping out—
Each one met the same fate.
A kunai across the throat.
A kunai through the chest.
Screams echoed nonstop.
Those hiding no longer dared to move.
Some didn't even dare breathe.
One bandit crouched behind a rock, shaking.
Please don't find me. Please don't find me.
Silence fell.
Carefully, he lifted his head—
A face suddenly peeked around the rock.
"Found you."
"AAAAH—!"
Akira flicked the blood off his kunai.
His Byakugan swept the area.
No living targets remained.
Under Byakugan's vision, hiding was meaningless. The rest had already fled.
"Really need to unlock a barrier technique someday."
In the game, mobs wouldn't move until fully cleared—and they even respawned.
But this wasn't a game.
Enemies ran.
Two kunai suddenly flew from behind him.
Akira tilted his head twice, letting them pass.
They embedded deeply into the rock.
Sunlight glinted—
Revealing steel wires attached to the kunai.
"Fire Style: Twin Dragon Flame!"
In the distance stood a man with bandages across his face, one eye exposed. He bit down on the wire as flames burst from his mouth, racing along the steel toward Akira.
At the same time, a short man with steel claws leapt down from above.
The boss had come looking for him.
Left. Right. Above.
All sealed.
No retreat.
A perfect kill zone.
Boom!
Smoke exploded.
A curved shield appeared in front of Akira, with rock behind it.
The flames only heated the shield red-hot.
The clawed man struck it, sparks flying.
"A shield?! Where the hell did that come from?!"
What kind of ninja carries a shield?!
"Substitution Technique," Akira added calmly from behind it.
"Bullshit!!" the clawed man roared. "Who the hell uses a SHIELD for Substitution?!"
"I used a spiked mace earlier," Akira muttered.
The short man snapped and charged.
Akira kicked the shield.
It flew forward—slamming into the man and sending him crashing backward.
"Wham!"
The shield smashed him straight into his partner.
A smell of roasted meat filled the air.
"AAAAH!"
The man shoved the shield off. His clothes were charred black, skin blistered and bleeding.
"Damn you, brat!!"
Akira shouted back even louder, furious:
"Couldn't you two just stay at the damn mountain top?!"
He still wanted to clear the remaining mobs.
At least finish the bandit set.
He'd gotten four pieces so far.
Besides the first two—
[Bandit's Right Leg Guard: Movement Speed +5]
[Bandit's Right Bracer: Strength +5]
Another right bracer.
But he only had one right hand.
He was still missing a left bracer, a necklace, and a ring.
Bandit bosses usually dropped armor or sabers.
If he killed these two early and the rest ran—
Whose responsibility was that?
Definitely not his.
The two men were utterly confused.
Weren't they the ones being attacked?
Why did this kid look even angrier than they were?
Before they could react—
Kunai filled Akira's hands again.
He hurled them forward.
Hyūga · Stationary Kunai Turret · Akira
Returns to the battlefield.
A sea of kunai descended.
The two men turned pale.
One drew his sword.
The other spun his steel claws wildly.
They blocked and retreated at the same time.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
What kind of ninja carries this many kunai?!
Do they grow on trees?!
They dove behind a boulder, finally catching their breath.
They were wounded, but nothing vital.
Unfortunately—
Akira was stronger now.
Under the relentless barrage, the rock began to crack.
"What kind of monster IS this guy?!" the short man screamed, pinned down and unable to lift his head.
"Those eyes…" the taller man said hesitantly. "Isn't he… Hyūga?"
He'd only heard rumors. Never seen one up close.
But the eyes matched.
The fighting style—
Didn't resemble a ninja at all.