"They're bandits! Run for your lives!"
The nobles and aristocrats, who moments ago were eagerly watching the commotion, now scattered in a panic at the sight of the bandits' attack. Gone was their usual air of superiority—some were so terrified they started soiling themselves.
At that moment, the bandit leader let out a wild laugh as he strode toward the Princess of Hi no Kuni.
"You got lucky escaping last time, but you're not slipping through my grasp this time! Be smart and tell your father to send the ransom quick, or I won't mind letting my boys have some fun with you!"
"You! You—!"
The Princess of Hi no Kuni trembled in fear at the bandit leader's words. Despite her usual bratty and willful demeanor, facing these cold-blooded killers left her utterly terrified.
"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine," Kazama said, stepping in front of the princess to shield her.
"Hmph! So you're the useless trash Konoha sent?"
The bandit leader didn't take Kazama seriously at all, even mocking him with a sneer.
"You can barely save yourself, yet you're acting all calm and saying it's fine? Fine, then! I'll start with you—let's show Konoha we're not to be messed with!"
With that, the bandit leader leaped forward, his broad-backed golden blade swinging down toward Kazama's head.
Bang!
Just when everyone thought Kazama would be cleaved in two, they saw him standing completely still, unmoved. The bandit leader, however, was sent flying backward, reeling from the impact. As for the golden blade that struck Kazama, it had already shattered into pieces.
"What the—?!"
The captured nobles and surrounding bandits were all dumbfounded. Neither the bandits nor the nobles had ever taken Kazama seriously, but now, seeing him unscathed after the bandit leader's full-force attack, they realized how badly they'd underestimated him.
"What, didn't eat breakfast? Hit me harder—I can take it," Kazama taunted, smirking at the bandit leader sprawled on the ground.
"This little punk's head is that tough?! Grab the Princess of Hi no Kuni!"
Realizing he couldn't handle Kazama, the bandit leader turned his attention back to the princess. But before the bandits could get close, a massive, shimmering golden skeleton appeared around her.
The sight of this golden skeleton left the bandits so terrified they collapsed to the ground. Even the princess herself was stunned, her eyes wide with shock.
"No need to panic, Princess. This is Susanoo—it's here to protect you," Kazama reassured her.
"What? Oh…"
The Princess of Hi no Kuni had no idea what Susanoo was, but learning it was Kazama's protection let her breathe a sigh of relief.
"All flash and no substance! I don't believe one guy can take on thousands of us—get him!"
Though the bandits were shaken by Kazama's display, they charged at him on their leader's orders, steeling themselves for the fight.
"To a ninja, one bandit or a thousand makes no difference—Amaterasu!"
With the appearance of Amaterasu's black flames, the thousands of bandits were incinerated into nothingness in an instant.
Seeing Kazama effortlessly wipe out thousands of bandits left the Princess of Hi no Kuni, the nobles in the room, and that pretty-boy from Mizu no Kuni utterly humiliated for ever mocking or underestimating him. The pretty-boy from Mizu no Kuni, in particular, realized how suicidal it had been to provoke Kazama. If Kazama wanted, he could've been reduced to ash in a heartbeat.
But the one most shocked was the Princess of Hi no Kuni. To her, Kazama was just an unremarkable genin. Yet the strength he'd just shown surpassed even the jonin she'd met before.
"Who are you? You're no ordinary genin!" she demanded.
Kazama grinned and nodded. "You're right, I'm not your average genin—'cause I'm way better-looking than the rest!"
As he spoke, the bandit leader suddenly crashed through a window to escape. Kazama summoned a Mokuton Bunshin to stay and protect the princess, then flew after the fleeing bandit.
In truth, Kazama had spared the bandit leader on purpose. He planned to use Betsu no Kami to control him and have him lead the way to the bandits' treasure stash. Since these bandits made their living robbing and plundering, they surely had piles of gold and jewels. Kazama intended to use that wealth to bolster Oto no Kuni's resources.
With the bandit leader guiding him, Kazama soon found the treasure cave. But the moment he stepped inside, he spotted a familiar figure—Kurozetsu.
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