It was obvious the girl was probably very beautiful.
Unfortunately, Shinji's punch had landed square on her face.
Truly proving the saying: If you hit a pretty girl hard enough, she'll probably cry for a long time~
"Let Jiana go. I'll go with you willingly. Just please, don't hurt me."
Her voice was lovely, clear as a songbird. Combined with her vulnerable, tearful expression, it was designed to awaken a protective instinct in anyone.
Hidan nodded. "Sure, I'll let her—huh?"
After receiving an elbow jab to the ribs from Shinji, Hidan snapped out of it and glared at the woman with hostility.
"Another genjutsu! You're looking to die!"
Hidan was furious and was about to kill her right there.
Seeing her last trick fail, the woman looked desperate. She stumbled over to the white fox and clung to it, closing her eyes to await her fate.
But the next moment, over a dozen shuriken and kunai shot straight toward Hidan.
Hidan swung his scythe and deflected them easily, but the attack saved the woman's life for the moment.
Looking up, three dark-skinned ninja wearing Kumogakure headbands leaped out, positioning themselves between Shinji's group and the woman.
Shinji raised an eyebrow. So she's from Cloud Village?
"Kumogakure business! Outsiders, get lost!"
Dark Skin #1 spoke up first, sounding impatient and annoyed.
The other two completely ignored Shinji and his friends. One grabbed the woman, while the other started tying up the unconscious white fox.
Shinji narrowed his eyes. "Kumogakure?"
"That was just a warning. You almost ruined everything. Now get out of here before you get hurt!"
Dark Skin #1 had a terrible temper. Since their target had almost been killed, he looked at Shinji's group with clear hostility.
Hearing this, Shinji just laughed. He turned to Hidan, who was already cracking his knuckles. "Don't get too carried away. Leave one alive for questioning."
"Got it, stop nagging."
Hidan grumbled, then charged forward with a wild laugh.
The three Cloud ninja were shocked anyone would dare challenge them and immediately drew their weapons.
"Insolent fools! Kill them!"
Dark Skin #1 assumed a stance, and his blade burst into flames.
"Cloud Style: Flame Slash!"
A scorching wave of fire shot toward Hidan.
Hidan grinned. He didn't even bother dodging, simply swinging his scythe to cleave the fire apart completely.
"What?!"
Dark Skin #1 was stunned. He never expected someone to dispel his Flame Slash so brutally.
But to Hidan, there was no simpler truth than raw power overwhelming all tricks.
While #1 was shocked, #2 and #3 didn't waste time.
"Cloud Style: Crescent Moon Slash!"
Dark Skin #2 attacked with rapid, large crescent-shaped blade waves aimed at Hidan.
Yet Hidan remained just as arrogant and fierce, smashing through every attack with sheer brute force.
"Cloud Style: Deceiving Slash!"
Seeing their long-range attacks weren't working, Dark Skin #3 decided to engage in close combat.
He swung his sword in a way that made it look like a vertical slash, but using a special technique, it was actually a horizontal cut!
It looked flashy, but it was deadly effective.
#3 had killed many strong opponents with this very move.
But today, it failed completely.
Because whether it was vertical or horizontal, the technique relied on making the enemy block or dodge.
Hidan's philosophy was simple: Why the hell would I dodge? I'll just kill you instead!
His scythe came crashing down, completely ignoring the feint.
Dark Skin #3 tried to pull his blade back to block, but it was too late.
THWACK!
Hidan's heavy blow pierced straight through his body. The sword hastily raised in defense shattered under the immense strength like glass.
The blade went deep into his torso, nearly cutting him clean in half diagonally.
"YUGUI!"
"Damn it! Die!"
The sudden death of their comrade drove the remaining two into a blind rage.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Blade!"
Dark Skin #2 roared, unleashing a massive surge of electricity at Hidan, paralyzing him in place.
Then he instantly appeared beside Hidan and delivered a powerful strike.
CLANG!
At the very last second, Hidan raised his scythe and blocked the long sword.
"Oh~ feels tingly. You call that electricity? You trying to make me laugh?"
Hidan had indeed been stunned for a split second, but as he said, this level of voltage was nothing to him. He adapted instantly.
Seeing this, Dark Skin #2 didn't look disappointed despite failing to damage him.
Because this flashy technique was just a distraction! It didn't matter if it hurt the enemy or not!
Silently, under the cover of his teammate's attack, Dark Skin #1 transformed into a dim bolt of lightning and appeared directly behind Hidan.
With eyes filled with hatred and resolve, he thrust his sword forward.
Die!
"Shadow Lightning Thrust!"
Pfft! Pfft!
Two precise strikes. One sword pierced Hidan's lung, the other went straight through his heart.
"Yugui... I'm sorry. I've avenged you."
Dark Skin #1 gritted his teeth, his expression filled with grief.
But as he tried to pull his blade out, he froze. No matter how hard he pulled, the sword stuck in the enemy's heart wouldn't budge.
Then he heard his companion screaming frantically: "WATCH OUT! GET BACK!!!"
What was happening?
Did his other teammates finally decide to attack?
Trusting his comrade implicitly, #1 immediately let go of his beloved weapon and leaped backward with all his might.
In mid-air, a terrifying scythe swept right past his face.
If he had hesitated even for a split second, that blade would have sliced his head clean off!
The scent of death drenched him in cold sweat!
"Dammit! I definitely pierced his heart and lungs! Why is he still alive?!"
#1 touched the cut on his cheek, shouting in shock and rage, his voice cracking.
Dark Skin #2 just smiled bitterly. How was he supposed to know why?
He had just seen the enemy move and warned his friend out of instinct.
Only when Hidan turned around did #1 realize why the sword wouldn't come out. Hidan was gripping the blade embedded in his chest with his bare hand!
But why... why was this monster still alive?
Why?!
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"