Seeing their comrades fall one after another with their own eyes, the Suna ninjas couldn't help but feel a chill rise from the depths of their hearts.
This kid is way too strong!
Could it be that his strength was already equivalent to a jonin?
Even a jonin wouldn't have such terrifying physical prowess!
Not only did this kid show no signs of exhaustion, he was getting even stronger!
Fighting against a machine like him was nothing short of a nightmare.
There was no room for hesitation in battle. Even though fear had already taken root in their hearts, the Suna ninjas still charged at Shiratori without hesitation.
The ninjas roared and once again launched an attack toward him. A torrent of dense attacks surged toward him.
He moved once more.
The mercury flowing around him blocked incoming attacks, while his fists and blade continuously struck down the Suna ninjas.
Blood splattered around him.
A Suna ninja slashed at him with a blade, Shiratori sidestepped, let go of his sword, which sliced through the opponent's throat before returning to his hand.
He had applied Tool Manipulation to the katana.
Even if he didn't strike personally, the sword could attack on its own, though not as powerfully as when he wielded it himself.
After eliminating the threats around him, he locked his eyes on a few remaining Suna ninjas in front of him.
[Killing Intent detected: +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 81.7%]
Suddenly, a powerful sense of danger crept up his spine.
An extremely fast black shadow silently tore through the sandstorm, aiming directly for his back. The speed far surpassed that of the ninjas he had been fighting.
His pupils shrank. He forcibly twisted his body, raising his sword in front of him to block the attack.
CLANG!
A deafening sound rang in his ears. An unimaginable force surged through his sword.
His arms went numb; his palms almost lost all sensation. His body flew backward uncontrollably, like he had been hit head-on by a train. He flipped midair and stumbled several steps before finally landing and steadying himself.
He looked at the towering figure in front of him.
That strength and speed, definitely a jonin.
He honestly hadn't expected a jonin from the Suna camp would be sent to deal with him. There were very few jonin in a single camp, so few they could be counted on one hand.
At least on the surface, it seemed like sending a jonin to deal with a mere child was a waste of resources.
The man now stood on the spot Shiratori had been knocked away from. The lower half of his face was covered by a gray mask, and his sharp eyes were exposed, like a scorpion lurking in the desert.
His arms bulged with muscle, and he gripped a uniquely shaped short blade in his hand.
"A little brat from Ame..."
His hoarse voice rasped like sandpaper. His gaze locked on Shiratori.
"Your performance ends here."
To the right of the Suna camp, another explosion lit up the sky.
In the middle of the roaring blasts and screams, another squad from Ame broke through the camp's defenses.
From the moment the Suna jonin appeared, the surrounding Suna ninjas had automatically retreated from Shiratori.
Now, only Shiratori and the jonin stood face-to-face. The atmosphere had frozen, the air itself felt solid, and an overwhelming killing intent surged toward Shiratori.
[Killing Intent detected: +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 82.2%]
Shiratori stared at the jonin in front of him.
The strength difference between jonin, chunin, and genin was like night and day. He had no choice but to stay highly alert.
The guy in front of him was clearly very confident in his own strength. Gripping his short blade, he stepped toward him one step at a time, his gaze locked onto him like a predator eyeing dying prey.
"It's time to end everything."
His voice echoed out.
Shiratori replied, "I think the opposite. I believe everything is just beginning."
He tightened his grip on the blade in his hand. If he could win, great. If not, he'd summon a cursed spirit.
Either way, he could gain some combat experience from this jonin.
---
On the right side of the Suna camp, the Ame ninjas broke through the fence. The Suna ninjas' defensive formation was violently torn apart, and the Ame ninjas flooded in through the breach.
The Suna ninjas were forced back under the onslaught of the Ame ninjas' concentrated attacks. They ducked behind whatever cover remained, their hands forming seals so fast they became blurs.
One jutsu after another was launched at the advancing Ame ninjas.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Blades of sharp wind tore through the air, screaming as they slashed toward the charging Ame ninjas.
Even though the Suna ninjas fought hard to resist, they were still losing numbers under the sheer pressure of being outnumbered.
One Suna ninja had just finished forming hand seals, but before he could release his jutsu, a poisoned kunai suddenly shot out from the shadows at his side, piercing his throat with precision.
Clutching his bleeding neck, the ninja collapsed, his eyes full of unwillingness and regret.
Scenes like this played out across the entire camp.
The air in the Suna camp was thick with the stench of blood and smoke.
Wherever the eye could see: fallen corpses, twisted limbs, scattered weapons...
---
In the center of the Suna camp, the Suna jonin continued closing in on Shiratori. He made the first move, forming hand seals.
The sand in front of him trembled, then surged forward like a flood, forming massive waves of sand. Before Shiratori, the sand rose and churned into a towering wave at least three meters high.
In an instant, the sand transformed mid-air into countless sharp, diamond-shaped crystal spikes.
The spikes were densely packed, suspended in the air like solidified raindrops, an overwhelming storm of blades.
In a split second, they whistled through the air with a piercing screech and rained down upon Shiratori from all directions.
A broom appeared in his hand, and he shot into the sky atop it, soaring far beyond the range of the crystal spikes.
The spikes plunged deep into the sand below, then disintegrated and merged back into the earth.
Perched on his broom, Shiratori watched this scene, his gaze toward the Suna jonin subtly changing.
A bloodline limit, huh?
Killing him outright... might be a bit of a waste...
Suddenly, the sand beneath the jonin's feet surged again. From the ground rose countless amber-colored crystal spikes formed from the sand.
They aimed straight at the airborne Shiratori and launched.
Once again, writhing mercury formed a massive shield beneath him. The crystal spikes embedded themselves deeply into the hardened mercury. But his figure had already disappeared from the sky.
Silently and without warning, he reappeared behind the Suna ninja, who quickly turned around and formed hand seals.
In an instant, the sand behind him condensed into a thick crystalline wall.
CRACK.
The crystal wall shattered under his shocked gaze.
"How... how is this possible?!"
His wall was supposed to be impenetrable!
With a twist of his wrist, Shiratori slashed at the jonin with his sword.
"How is it not possible?"
There was no such thing as an ability without a weakness.
CRACK.
The short blade in the jonin's hand, raised to block Shiratori's sword, split apart.