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Despite their speed, Heshu and his team weren't fast enough to prevent the deaths of Akimichi Shinden and Ueno Tame.
At least Heshu had managed to save Sarutobi Aoki in time.
Umino Shinno was severely injured, but he was hanging on.
"Three more coming to die?" sneered the leader of the Rock ninja squad, a kunoichi from the Kamizuru clan named Suzumebachi. She paid the arrival of Heshu's group no mind. A twisted smile played on her lips as her gaze swept over them.
On paper, Heshu's team was no match for the larger Rock force. Umino was badly hurt, and among the Konoha shinobi present, only Hyuga Hizashi was a jonin. The rest were genin.
But they were Konoha's genin.
Heshu's eyes scanned the surrounding Rock ninja. A rough estimate put their numbers at thirty to forty. The three leading them all appeared to be jonin.
"Move out!" Suzumebachi didn't waste time on words. She barked at the ninja behind her, "Wipe them all out!"
The Rock ninja behind her trembled with excitement, their breathing heavy and eager as they swarmed toward Heshu's group.
An unusually large number of them targeted Heshu. The idea of murdering a little girl seemed to promise them a special kind of thrill.
Heshu, a veteran of his past life's internet, was no stranger to such depravity.
But choosing him was just choosing to knock on hell's door a little early.
Heshu raised his spear, Shinso. His figure transformed into a streak of silvery-white light, a bolt of lightning charging straight at the approaching Rock ninja.
The blade cut through the air. The excited grin on the foremost ninja's face froze solid.
The tip pierced through his chest and, with unstoppable momentum, kept going, extending ten meters in the blink of an eye.
"Ghkâ!"
Blood mixed with pulverized flesh erupted violently.
Ew. A bit gross.
Heshu's face remained impassive as he retracted Shinso, parrying a sneak attack from behind.
Whistling wind came at him from all sides. Five ninja, eyes bulging with rage, lunged.
In that split second, countless ice spikes shot up diagonally, saturating the air around them.
Heshu lowered his hand. A biting, terrifying chill lingered where the ice had manifested.
The ninja who had surrounded him were now suspended mid-air, impaled on a dense forest of icy spears.
Blood slid down the translucent blue pillars, pooling into a crimson puddle on the ground.
"System⊠I think I've become a bit of a psychoâŠ"
"âŠ"
The system was silent.
If you don't rise up in silence, you become twisted in silence.
"The Host is not at fault. The fault lies with this world," the System finally answered.
Heshu rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. "System, you've changed, tooâŠ"
"You've become⊠kind of emo."
"âŠ"
Heshu took a few steps forward, emerging from the thicket of corpses and the cloying scent of blood.
Before him, the Rock ninja who had been about to attack were now backing away, cold sweat soaking through their flak jackets.
"How⊠how is this possible?" one of them stammered, his palms sweating around the grip of his short sword. "That bratâŠ"
This wasn't normal.
"Get out of my way!"
Suzumebachi had seen enough. She grabbed a Rock ninja by the collar, tossed him aside, and stepped forward to face Heshu herself.
"It seems I underestimated you," she said, her expression dark. Her eyes swept over the skewered corpses of her men before fixing back on Heshu, filled with venom.
"Bee Senbon Jutsu!"
A dense swarm of senbon needles shot forth, sealing off every possible angle of evasion. The tips of the needles glinted with a sinister green light under the sun.
Poisoned. Obviously.
Ice spread from the soles of Heshu's feet, rapidly forming a sphere large enough to completely encase him.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The crisp sound of needles striking ice rang out in rapid succession.
Then, silence.
Heshu shattered the ice sphere, but Suzumebachi was nowhere to be seen.
Invisibility jutsu?
Using her Camouflage Jutsu, Suzumebachi narrowed her eyes. She slowly revealed herself behind Heshu, raising her long sword with pure malice in her gaze.
CLANG!
Blades met. A sharp surge of force erupted from the point of contact.
Suzumebachi hadn't expected to be blocked. Confusion flashed in her eyes.
How did this brat detect her?
She'd used her Camouflage Jutsu! Even some jonin back in Iwagakure couldn't sense it! It was her pride and joy!
Gritting her teeth, she reacted swiftly. Her wrist twisted, and the sharp long sword moved like a sinister black serpent, curling around to slash at Heshu's throat.
At that moment, Heshu's body seemed to freeze for a second. A flicker of triumph crossed Suzumebachi's face.
But the smile didn't last.
Heshu's figure vanished from before her eyes. He was simply gone.
Simultaneously, an overwhelming sense of crisis made every hair on Suzumebachi's back stand on endâa primal instinct screaming of mortal danger.
A blade pierced flesh.
Suzumebachi's body lurched backward, but the silvery-white beam of light had already passed through her left arm.
Huff⊠huffâŠ
Cold sweat dripped from her temples. Clutching her bleeding arm, she stared at Heshu, her eyes wide with shock.
A mere brat!
How could he move so fast? That speed⊠it wasn't human!
"How did you find me?" Suzumebachi couldn't ignore the question gnawing at her.
"My eyes," Heshu smiled.
Sorry. My talent might be average, but my gear? Top-tier.
"I was careless," Suzumebachi muttered, staring fixedly at Heshu, unwillingness churning inside her. "So age doesn't necessarilyâ"
Her words were cut off.
Heshu was already shooting toward her.
Experience had taught Heshu that in a fight, it was best to talk less.
And listen even less.
One word: Fight.
Suzumebachi's face twisted. She'd never met a ninja who didn't follow the script. Shouldn't there be some exchange of words between enemies at a time like this?
Shinso pierced through her heart.
Heshu frowned. In his vision, the pierced Suzumebachi rapidly dissolved into pale yellow honey.
The Kamizuru clan's Honey Clone.
"Bee Bomb Jutsu!"
A shout came from behind him.
Countless bees swarmed Heshu, and then, one by one, they began to explode. The blasts were no weaker than explosive tags.
Suzumebachi let out a breath, panting as she tried to steady herself.
This brat really is tough. Konoha truly has no shortage of monsters.
A pity. Suzumebachi's lips curled. This particular monster was destined to die by her hand.
The explosions continued, one after another.
Heshu flickered behind Suzumebachi, watching the triumphant smile spread across her face.
"Celebrating before you see the body? It's a bit early for that, isn't it?"
Shinso pierced through Suzumebachi from behind.
You have to be like me. Make sure your opponent can't struggle before you start running your mouth.
Startled by the familiar voice, Suzumebachi couldn't react before a gaping hole opened in her chest.
"Youâ" She opened her mouth, but a flood of blood poured out. She collapsed before she could finish her sentence.
On another part of the battlefield, the giant Queen Bee that Nara SĆsai had been restraining with his Shadow Possession Jutsu suddenly went berserk. It thrashed violently, instantly breaking free.
Right in its path were the Hyuga siblings, Rin and Ginkin.
The Queen Bee let out a shriek that could rupture eardrums as it lunged toward them with savage intent.
"Brother!" Ginkin screamed, eyes reddening as he watched Rin step in front of him. "Get out of the way!"
Rin didn't move. Facing the behemoth, he tightened his grip on an explosive tag. He took a step, then another, running straight toward the Queen Bee. Against something like this, they stood no chance.
Except by sacrificing himself.
Four ice spikes fell from the sky, plunging deep into the Queen Bee's body one after another. It shrieked in agony.
Finally, Heshu raised a hand. A massive ice spear descended from above, piercing straight through the Queen Bee's head.
Its twitching limbs slowly stilled.
"Lady Suzumebachi!"
"Lady Suzumebachi is dead!"
Many Rock ninja had seen their leader's corpse and the Queen Bee's gruesome end.
Hyuga Rin stood dumbly beside the summon's body. His sweat-soaked clothes clung to his skin. A wind carrying the scent of blood blew past, chilling him to the bone.
Hyuga Ginkin rushed over and hugged him, but Rin's gaze was fixed on a distant figure.
An unprecedented sense of disparity washed over him.
A beast that required a life-or-death struggle for them was, for Heshu, dispatched with a casual flick of the wrist. The chasm in their abilities felt like an abyss, and he was plummeting into its depths.
Heshu looked at the pinned Queen Bee, a thought crossing his mind.
Playing with ice is like a sparrow eating a cricketâundeniably cool.
The aesthetic level instantly skyrocketed.
Suzumebachi's death incited the remaining Rock ninja. Desertion in wartime was impossible. Their leader's death only drove them into a deeper frenzy.
Another seven or eight of them charged at Heshu with suicidal abandon.
This time, he didn't have to lift a finger.
Shisui's figure appeared in mid-air. A series of afterimages, both real and illusory, reaped the lives of the frenzied attackers.
Heshu raised an eyebrow. Body Flicker? Not bad, Shisui. Your progress is impressive.
"Nice!" Heshu gave Shisui a thumbs-up while simultaneouslyâand without changing his expressionâdriving Shinso through the chest of a ninja trying to sneak up on him.
"I'm not doing so bad either!" Matatabi's voice came as he landed beside Heshu. He was covered in the thick scent of blood, a small cut on his arm.
The three of them stood back-to-back. The formation was familiar, like the time back in the Academy when they'd taken on the whole class.
"Let's go!" Matatabi's Sharingan tomoe spun, his eyes blazing with focus.
Shisui moved. The two of them shot off in opposite directions.
Heshu faced the Rock ninja before him, Shinso and his SĆhyĆ transforming interchangeably, launching a relentless, dizzying barrage of attacks.
"Earth Style: Earâ"
The Rock ninja's chant died in his throat. His eyes went vacant, his arms dropping limply. In that split second, Shisui's short sword flashed across his neck.
Dark shadows spread from Nara SĆsai's feet, quickly crawling up the legs of two other Rock ninja. In the moment of their paralysis, Matatabi's kunai found their hearts with perfect accuracy.
"Thanks!" Matatabi's voice drifted on the air as he engaged the remaining ninja.
Nara SĆsai wiped sweat from his brow, a smile tugging at his lips. "A fight like this⊠actually gets the blood pumping."
The Hyuga siblings worked in perfect sync. A single glance was all they needed to coordinate their next move. Together, they had several Rock ninja on the ropes.
Iwaizumi Yuzu guarded the unconscious Sarutobi Aoki, gripping her kunai tightly. Her gaze kept drifting toward a certain figure on the battlefield.
Watching Heshu's dominating presence, Yuzu lowered her head in shame.
I'm so useless! We're both girls, but Heshu is so strong! If only I were as powerful as himâŠ
"Yuzu." The severely wounded Umino Shinno, lying beside her, reached out and patted her head. Having been Yuzu's age once, she understood. "You're very brave, too."
Faced with such a scene, many would have been scared out of their wits. The fact that Yuzu was holding on was impressive in itself.
Yuzu bit her lip, feeling her eyes sting.
Only about seven or eight Rock ninja remained. The tables had turned. The surrounded became the surrounders.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" a Rock ninja pleaded, swallowing hard, his hands trembling so badly he could barely hold his kunai.
When fear reaches a certain peak, people often revert to the most primitive forms of combat.
That's right.
Clutching their kunai, the remaining Rock ninja charged. It was less a final, desperate struggle and more an acceptance of their fateâjust another way to meet death.
Heshu raised Shinso.
Fine. I'll make it quick.
A flash of golden light.
Specially marked kunai seemed to connect in mid-air, a bolt of golden lightning streaking across everyone's vision.
In an instant, seven or eight more bodies lay on the ground.
Heshu's pupils contracted.
A figure appeared before them.
"Sorry I'm late."
The newcomer had short, golden hair that stirred in the breeze. A wry, apologetic smile touched his lips, and his eyes, blue like a serene lake, swirled with guilt.
It was Minato Namikaze.
He didn't look like someone who'd just killed eight men. He was clean and fresh, his face gentle and unblemished. He radiated the warmth of a spring sun.
Ah.
The corner of Heshu's mouth twitched.
If the System had bound itself to Minato Namikaze, the conquest progress would be staggering.
"Thanks for the suggestion," the System said flatly.
"Hey now, System! Our goal of conquering the ninja world isn't complete yet!"
"Can't I have colleagues?"
"You can. Haha, of course you can."
"âŠ"
Heshu refocused on Minato.
"Kakashi, weren't you worried about that little girl? Go check on her," Minato said suddenly, as if remembering something. He took a step back, revealing the small, silver-haired boy who had been completely hidden behind him.
Minato's gaze lingered on Heshu, filled with gentle warmth.
"âŠ"
Heshu had a strong feeling the person Minato was talking about wasn't Kakashi.
Don't ask why.
[Ding! Target Kakashi Hatake's Favorability: 65!]
[Ding! Target Kakashi Hatake's Favorability: 64!]
[Ding! Target Kakashi Hatake's Favorability: 63!]
That was why.
Heshu wanted to cry but had no tears.
Brother Minato, could you please just⊠not talk?
Kakashi stared at Minato with his typical dead-fish eyes, then gave Heshu an utterly indifferent glance. There was no trace of the "worry" Minato had mentioned.
"Kakashi, you can't be so tsundere when chasing girls, you know?" Minato continued, speaking with the confidence of an expert.
[Ding! Target Kakashi Hatake's Favorability: 62!]
[Ding! Target Kakashi Hatake's Favorability: 60!]
Seeing the number teeter on the edge of danger, Heshu's entire body tensed.
Please, Brother Minato! I'm begging you! Stop talking!
If the favorability dropped below sixty, who knew what might happen!
Heshu stiffened, looking at Minato with the most earnest expression he could muster.
Minato blinked. He looked at the little girl, Heshu, whose face was flushed bright red. Then he looked at Kakashi, who was deliberately avoiding Heshu's gaze. A knowing smile dawned on his face.
Ah, youth.
Heshu, flushed red from sheer anxiety over the plummeting favorability: "?"
Kakashi, genuinely just giving his blank, dead-fish-eye stare: "?"
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