"Lord Shion, run!"
Ashiho shouted as he raised his katana and charged at Shizuku alongside more than a dozen guards.
Seeing that people still dared to surround him, Shizuku frowned impatiently.
"You really don't know whether to live or die."
"Water Style: Water Dragon Whip!"
A massive sphere of water formed above his head. In the next instant, it split into countless arrow-like jets that pierced through the guards.
"Ahhh—!"
Ashiho collapsed, blood staining the ground. With him down, nothing stood between the invaders and their target.
"Leave the witch to me!"
Wei Tianjing stepped forward, slamming his palms together.
"Earth Style: Stone Body Technique!"
Earth and rock wrapped around him, encasing his entire frame. In moments, he became a three-meter-tall stone giant. His massive fists hardened further as he charged ahead like a rampaging siege engine. Samurai blades struck his body—but sparks flew, and steel failed to bite.
Each step shook the ground. The guards in his path were sent flying more than ten meters.
Just as he was about to crash into Shion—
A surge of chakra erupted from the side.
"Rasengan!"
The spinning sphere of chakra in Naruko's palm slammed into Wei Tianjing's chest, blasting the stone giant backward in an explosion of shattered rock.
"Good thing we made it in time!" Naruko grinned.
Sakura immediately stepped in front of Shion, shielding her.
"You are…?" Shion asked in astonishment.
Sakura replied calmly, "Lady Shion, we're Team Seven of Konohagakure. We've been assigned to protect you."
"That's right!" Naruko puffed out her chest proudly. "With us here, you've got nothing to worry about!"
Below them, Kusuna narrowed his eyes when he saw the Konoha forehead protector.
"Konoha shinobi… this complicates things."
Suddenly—
A shrill, piercing sound echoed through the battlefield. Like a thousand birds crying at once.
"What—?!"
Lightning crackled at Kusuna's side. He hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
"Chidori!"
Sasuke's hand, wrapped in concentrated lightning chakra, shot toward Kusuna's chest.
Kusuna's eyes hardened. Without hesitation, he thrust his left hand forward to intercept.
The move surprised Sasuke. Kusuna was offering up his own arm.
But Sasuke didn't stop.
Chidori pierced straight through Kusuna's left hand.
In that split second, Kusuna formed seals with his remaining hand.
"Dark Medical Ninjutsu: Sever!"
His left arm detached instantly at the shoulder, separating before Sasuke could press further. The sacrifice bought him a half-beat of time—enough to leap back.
"Dark Medical Ninjutsu: Detonate!"
The severed arm glowed with a sinister purple light.
Boom!
The explosion swallowed Sasuke in smoke.
A shadow burst out from the cloud—Sasuke landed lightly, cloak scorched but body intact.
"I got careless," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Kusuna had already sealed his wound with dark medical ninjutsu, stopping the bleeding. Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward Shion.
While running, he shouted to his comrades:
"Forget the others! Kill the witch first!"
The appearance of Konoha shinobi had thrown their plans into chaos. There was no guarantee reinforcements wouldn't arrive—perhaps even a jōnin.
Under normal circumstances, they would have retreated by now.
But this mission was different.
Their sole objective—
To kill the Shrine Maiden.
If they retreated now, once the Shrine Maiden recovered her strength, their mission would only grow more difficult.
Understanding this, the four attackers erupted with killing intent and rushed forward at full speed toward Shion and Sakura.
"Hah!"
Wei Tai and Shizuku joined forces against Naruko, while the remaining enemy shot straight at Sakura.
Sakura raised both hands and barely intercepted the incoming punch.
"Out of my way!"
Lightning suddenly burst from his arm.
Unlike Naruko and Sasuke, Sakura's strength had not yet reached jōnin level. She could not withstand a lightning-enhanced strike like this. The current surged through her body, and she was blasted backward, collapsing onto the ground in convulsions.
Now only Shion remained.
The attacker's lips curled into a vicious grin. The lightning around his arm intensified, chakra compressing into his five fingers until they resembled a spinning drill.
"Die!"
Just as his hand was about to pierce Shion's chest—
A hand reached out.
It ignored the crackling lightning entirely and clamped down on his wrist.
The force was overwhelming.
No matter how hard he pushed, his palm could not move forward even a single centimeter.
"Who—?!"
Before him stood a man dressed in black, black hair framing a calm, indifferent face. The attacker strained with all his strength, veins bulging, yet he could not break free.
"As a shinobi," the man said coldly, "and you still have the nerve to bully an unarmed girl?"
It was Ryoma.
Shion, still shaken, hadn't even processed what had happened. Relief flooded her heart as she realized she had survived.
The attacker, however, burned with rage. The prey had already been within his grasp—only to be snatched away.
"Let go!"
The words had barely left his mouth—
A sharp tearing sound split the air.
His body froze.
In the next instant, his head burst apart like a smashed watermelon. Blood and bone fragments splattered across the stone floor.
Silence fell.
Shion stared blankly as Ryoma casually discarded the corpse, as if throwing away trash. Without another glance, he walked toward the remaining three attackers.
The disturbance had not been small.
Naruko and Sasuke both halted mid-motion. When they saw the man clearly, their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Dad!"
Their voices rang out at the same time.
(End of Chapter)
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