Chapter 218: The Mysterious Organization, Overwhelming Enemy
Strictly speaking, the door wasn't pushed open—it was blown apart by some overwhelming force.
With a thunderous boom, smoke and dust billowed through the air.
Everyone's gaze instinctively shifted toward the doorway. Through the haze, a vague silhouette seemed to be standing there.
In an instant, everyone present—Mifune included—was on high alert.
"So, they've arrived already…"
Cold sweat formed on Mifune's forehead against his will.
He thought Uchiha Dali had come with reinforcements to kill them.
At that moment, the man outside stepped into the room.
Soon, everyone got a clear look at his face.
To their surprise, the man didn't seem like a shinobi at all. He wore neither the usual ninja attire nor any forehead protector or insignia.
If anything, he looked more like a monk than a ninja.
His bald head bore a single long braid, like a ponytail.
Beneath his left eye was a strange mark: "IV." He wore a loose white robe with black stripes at the cuffs and hem.
Swaggering inside, the man swept his gaze across every face before finally locking eyes with Mifune.
Mifune's hand was already resting on the hilt of his katana.
Noticing the man's gaze fixed on him, he immediately asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
The other samurai were also on full alert. Every man was braced for battle, ready to cut this monk-like stranger down the moment he made a wrong move.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
The monk spoke at last.
His voice was cold, almost inhuman.
Everyone present, Mifune included, instinctively tensed at his tone, their brows knitting as they stared at him in suspicion.
"My name is Jigen. From today onward, this place will be a base of operations for Kara."
After introducing himself, the monk calmly looked at Mifune again.
Mifune asked in a low voice, "What is Kara?"
By now, they had confirmed this man was no shinobi from Konoha.
From his own words, it was clear he belonged to some mysterious organization called Kara.
Yet not a single person here had ever heard the name before.
"Not willing?"
Jigen didn't answer Mifune's question—instead, he replied with a cold counter-question.
At the same time, everyone present suddenly felt an intense, murderous aura radiating from him.
In an instant, their expressions changed drastically.
"We don't know your origins or your purpose. Even if we agreed to let you use this place as your base, we'd first need to understand the situation!"
"If you plan to take it by force, know that we won't be pushovers!"
Mifune still didn't know exactly what kind of existence stood before him.
He rose to his feet, hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.
As the leader of the Land of Iron, for an unknown man to suddenly appear and say something so outrageously rude in front of all his subordinates—he had to show some stance.
Otherwise, he would be unworthy of his position.
But before Mifune could act, his subordinate Chongjie stepped forward.
How could the leader personally draw his blade against someone?
As a high-ranking officer of the Land of Iron, it was his duty to face such an enemy.
Chongjie drew his sword, striding forward until the point of his blade aimed straight at Jigen.
"Rude man, you'd better stop right here. If you keep offending the leader of the Land of Iron, your blood will stain this floor!"
"Is that so?"
Jigen clearly didn't take him seriously.
He stepped toward Chongjie.
"Impudent!"
Seeing the man approaching, Chongjie immediately sensed intense danger.
Driven by instinct, he swung his blade down at Jigen with all his strength.
Chakra naturally coated the weapon, and as the katana was swung, razor-sharp chakra surged forth like a blade of pure energy.
The strike was powerful enough to slice through iron like tofu.
However, the chakra slash halted abruptly about two meters in front of Jigen, as if it had struck an invisible barrier.
In the blink of an eye, the chakra blade dissipated completely.
Before anyone could process what had happened, the vanished chakra suddenly reappeared—only this time, it flew toward Chongjie at even greater speed.
Swish—
A cold flash streaked through the air.
Chongjie's body froze mid-motion, as if turned to stone.
The room fell utterly silent.
No one—not even Mifune—understood what had just occurred.
But every heart was pounding in tension.
Then, with a clang, Chongjie's sword fell to the ground.
A moment later, his head rolled off his shoulders like a watermelon.
Only then did everyone realize just how terrifying this enemy was.
"Protect Lord Mifune!!"
Another samurai captain—Mifune's trusted aide, Rijiaku—snapped back to his senses.
Shouting, he drew his sword and charged forward.
His roar jolted the rest of the men into action.
All the samurai present, except for Mifune, drew their weapons and rushed at Jigen.
They were determined to hack the enemy to pieces right here.
Mifune's expression, however, grew incomparably grave.
His subordinates might not have noticed, but he had clearly seen it—this man had used some kind of technique that could reflect or absorb attacks.
Against such a foe, they might not have any chance at all… but perhaps, just perhaps, there was still a way.
Mifune locked his gaze firmly on Jigen's every movement.
All he needed was a single opening.
If that flaw appeared, he could unleash a decisive draw slash in an instant.
He steadied his stance, suppressing his aura, while chakra surged within him. His hand stayed poised on the hilt, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
But Mifune was far too naïve.
The instant his men charged at Jigen, they were suddenly blasted away by an invisible force.
A 360-degree wave of blade-like chakra exploded outward, cutting down every samurai except Rijiaku in a single stroke.
It was as if each man had been slain by an invisible sword.
All killed in one blow.
Mifune and Rijiaku were stunned speechless.
In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained alive.
"He's… too strong…"
"Lord Mifune! Hurry and get out of here! I'll hold him off!!"
Rijiaku wasn't a fool—he had already assessed the situation and shouted urgently to Mifune.
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