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'If only I had been a little faster with that move just now…'
The dim street was shrouded in moonlight.
A golden figure, like a streak of light, swept across the rooftops at an extreme speed, alone.
Recalling that scene, Minato Namikaze was filled with regret.
Whether it was age or physical disparity, when he fought just now, his application of Ninjutsu and tactics, the timing of his sneak attack... there were so many things he hadn't done well, yet he had never noticed them before.
'I'm clearly aiming to be Hokage.'
'But have I become complacent because of small achievements compared to my peers?'
'How humiliating.'
Things shouldn't have been like this.
The figure, clad in a pitch-black combat suit, rolled and landed in the night, pressing a single finger against the cold ground, sensing Chakra continuously spreading into the distance.
Although the Earth Release: Earth Dragon Veil Jutsu of those few dead Ninja earlier was quite proficient, the traces of Chakra would not disappear in such a short time.
As a high-level spatial/sensory Ninja, Minato Namikaze only needed very small details to keenly detect the abnormal residues they left in the soil.
Chakra continued to bloom beneath his feet, and he sped off in the direction of the enemy's escape with a Body Flicker Jutsu that surpassed ordinary levels.
As one of the people with the highest Body Flicker Jutsu level at the scene, and also to correct his mistake of failing to stop the enemy earlier, Minato Namikaze completely disregarded his Chakra consumption.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, a deafening sound came from a distance.
The stirred earth and stone pillars, like a countercurrent waterfall, shot straight into the sky.
A vigorously spreading mist rose in the moonlight.
Minato Namikaze's expression instantly changed.
"Over there!"
Without hesitation, he immediately raised the signal gun at his waist and fired a shot into the air.
The bright glow ignited the night, guiding the subsequent troops.
Minato Namikaze dared not wait; he knew very well what level of expert his opponent was. Even if ordinary Anbu members merely tried to obstruct, it would inevitably come at the cost of their lives.
"Whoosh!"
His figure vanished from the spot.
At the same time, he was not the only one in motion.
Looking down from Hokage Rock.
Scattered figures, like fireflies, converged towards the source of the commotion. Experts from various Ninja clans ventured forward, and Anbu and Uchiha Police Force members, spread out like a net across various locations, continuously became denser.
Further back, there was Uchiha Megumi and her group, guided by Hyuga members.
Konoha's thorns wove into a net, trapping any evildoers causing trouble within, constantly tightening and tightening.
Rewind the minute hand slightly.
Under the moonlight.
Sawara Kiri stood at the end of the street, quietly looking at the three people in front of him, a Kunai hooked on his fingertip, his expression serene.
Almost the instant he saw his face, Kira's expression suddenly turned serious.
His already excellent memory immediately reminded him of the key intelligence the young man in front of him had casually revealed during the day.
Because of Sawara Kiri's age and experience, Kira initially thought this was merely important information inadvertently revealed by an immature young man in a crucial position.
However, when he appeared here, the nature of everything changed.
Kira stared directly into the young man's azure eyes, his posture wary:
"Who exactly are you?"
Sawara Kiri's smile faded, his expression solemn.
"Does that even need to be said?"
He slowly stepped forward, the Kunai hooked between his fingers instantly reversed, its blade reflecting a shimmering light in the moonlight, his tone chilling:
"Of course, I am the most loyal one, who dedicates everything to the Village…"
"A Konoha Ninja."
The moment his words fell.
A tangible burst of Chakra light suddenly erupted from beneath the young man's feet.
His figure moved from still to dynamic, sweeping past in a flash.
In an instant, he broke through the brief dozen-meter distance between them, and the figure that appeared in the eyes of the three Iwagakure Ninja was somewhat blurred due to its speed.
As the blade swung, it let out a piercing sound of breaking wind.
"Clang!"
The highly deterrent Chakra reaction and extreme speed made Kira instinctively block with his finger guards stacked.
However, it wasn't until the Kunai truly struck his fist, the blade wrapped in Lightning Release Chakra tearing through the finger guard and deeply embedding itself into the surface of his thick fist, spilling blood.
His supporting feet, under terrifying pressure, sank deeply into the concrete road, cracking into block-shaped solidified material, and plowing back half a meter on the ground.
Only then did Kira truly realize the strength of the young man in front of him.
'Hmm?!'
'How could his strength...?'
There wasn't even time to sigh.
"Clang—"
The Lightning Release Kunai, following the tear, opened a deep wound on Kira's fist, blood splattering.
In just that instant of pause, the slender young man had already floated slightly by utilizing the immense force generated when the two collided. His free left hand lightly pressed on Kira's outstretched thick forearm, and he glided through the air like a nimble swallow, arcing a semicircle.
The short Iwagakure Chunin's delayed attack at his side thus missed.
On the other side, the tall Iwagakure Ninja had already completed his hand signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
The continuously rising and extending spear-shaped earth and stone, carrying heavy force, rose from behind Kira, aiming directly at the young man still in mid-air.
The coordination between the three Iwagakure Ninja seemed simple, but the timing was extremely precise.
However, Kira immediately realized the problem.
"Dodge!"
The tall Iwagakure Ninja hadn't yet noticed where the danger came from, but his rich experience and the strict battlefield discipline of Iwagakure Ninja made him instinctively curl up and roll the moment he heard Kira-dono's command.
"Pfft!"
The Lightning Release Kunai, shot out like a bullet, deeply embedded itself into the ground where the tall Iwagakure Ninja had just stood, only tearing a bloody gash from his left shoulder all the way to his back as he rolled.
Had he not been warned, this strike would have pierced his heart.
However, it didn't change much.
Sawara Kiri's figure, suspended in mid-air, suddenly rotated, his feet abruptly stepping on a rising, obliquely thrusting earth pillar.
The tremendous reactive force sent him like an arrow from a bowstring, suddenly shooting towards the roaring Kira.
"Earth Release: Earth Golem Fist!"
A giant fist, completely wrapped in solid earth and stone, broke through the air, carrying immense force that ordinary Ninja could hardly bear, and swung menacingly towards Sawara Kiri.
At the same time, in his other hand, secretly held at his waist, the next set of hand signs was already prepared.
However...
"Boom!"
The Earth Golem Fist swept through, but its immense power completely missed.
The rapidly blurring afterimage in the night passed directly 'through' the center of the fist, with no sense of contact with a solid object.
Clone?!
This thought instinctively rose in Kira's mind.
But then, as if he realized something, he suddenly turned his head to look behind him.
Sawara Kiri stood there quietly.
Another Kunai, taken out at some unknown point, had quietly pierced the neck of the short Iwagakure Ninja, who was located behind Kira, using the visual obstruction, and was preparing to launch an attack.
Until the second before his death, the opponent had not yet realized what had happened.
His pupils, deep within, were filled with confusion as he looked at Kira.
"Pfft."
The Kunai was pulled from the wound, accompanied by a soft popping sound, and blood gushed out like a spring, spraying forth.
The unnamed Iwagakure Ninja's body was released from his hand, falling limply to the ground.
"One."
Sawara Kiri turned his head, looked at Kira, and slightly raised his chin, provocatively saying, "If this is all the performance you can give, it's far from enough."
"Please entertain me more."
"You..."
"Bastard!!"
At that moment, Kira fully realized.
If he couldn't eliminate this person who had intercepted them as quickly as possible, both he and his last subordinate would undoubtedly die under Konoha's encirclement.
Thus, Kira no longer cared about the range of his Ninjutsu or the remaining Chakra in his body, and formed hand signs with both hands.
"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Explosion!"
With a roar, continuous explosions spread rapidly like a swimming dragon from beneath the ground in front of Kira towards Sawara Kiri.
The violent explosion echoed throughout the entire street.
Dust and smoke billowed.
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