Chapter 58: Battle on the Fortress Wall—Flash-Step Swordsman!
Mei Terumi's battle plan sounds complex, requiring five consecutive evasive maneuvers and a coordinated final sprint from both participants to reach the rendezvous point.
But Tsukasa simplified it down to two essential objectives:
Draw as many enemy forces as possible.In five minutes, meet up at the fork in the road near the underground caverns beneath the Jashin Cult's headquarters.
Tsukasa's task, then, is straightforward.
Simply turn this fortress wall into his battlefield and face all enemies head-on.
Hold out for five minutes!
The first wave consists of the thirty-six enemies before him.
These include twenty-four rogue samurai, ten Genin, two Chunin, and eight tracking dogs.
But that's not all.
The Jashin Cult Chunin squad guarding the cave entrance will quickly arrive as reinforcements once they observe the situation. Then he'll have to face three to sixteen elite Jashin Cult Chunin arriving one after another.
In even more extreme cases, additional enemies could emerge from the underground caverns.
Moreover,
This is a battle where he must conserve chakra as much as possible and avoid unnecessary killing.
Tsukasa took a deep breath as he surveyed the mass of enemies before him.
He then adjusted his grip on the sword, holding it in a reverse grip and assuming the stance of Cloud-Style Kenjutsu. He rested the blade along his forearm, leaned forward, and controlled his breathing.
His crimson eyes held a focused expression.
Honestly, he wasn't particularly skilled in swordsmanship or close-quarters combat.
Otherwise, Kakuzu wouldn't have found an opening and nearly killed him with overwhelming taijutsu.
However, he'd already expended all his shuriken in the previous battle with Kakuzu, and the kunai he'd just thrown was his last ninja tool.
Only two explosive tags remained in his equipment pouch.
Now, he had only this blade to rely on.
So—
Trust in it!
Elsewhere,
Hideaki, sent flying by Tsukasa's kick, slammed against the base of the fortress wall.
He struggled to his feet with help from his Genin subordinate. His head was throbbing, and his vision was spinning. It took him several moments to regain his senses.
Hideaki steadied himself against the wall and looked up at the young man before him.
He wore a hooded black cloak that was noticeably too short, his exposed torso covered in bandages. His eyes gleamed cold crimson, and he held his ninja blade in reverse grip, calmly gathering his strength.
Seeing the twin tomoe in those eyes, Hideaki smirked.
"I thought we were dealing with someone formidable, but it turns out it's just a kid."
The young Genin supporting Hideaki couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly at this comment. He stepped aside and pointed at Tsukasa's eyes, whispering,
"Captain, that's the Sharingan. This kid must be an Uchiha."
"I know." Hideaki sneered. "So what if he's an Uchiha?"
He looked at Tsukasa coldly and announced loudly, "Look! He's only one person!"
"And we—there are thirty-six of us here!"
"Masato, what are you afraid of?"
"Have you forgotten the bishop's promise?"
"The opportunity is right in front of us. If we capture this kid before the deacon guarding the cave entrance arrives, then..."
Hearing this, the young Genin couldn't help but take a sharp breath, and his eyes immediately turned red as he stared at Tsukasa.
He wasn't looking at a person anymore, but at a walking treasure trove!
Hideaki couldn't help but smile when he saw his subordinates' expressions,
But he didn't let his guard down. As a middle-aged rogue ninja and missing-nin, he might not be powerful, but to have survived this long in the chaotic Land of Hot Water, he clearly had more cunning than most.
Immediately, he issued orders to his men:
"Gather those rogue samurai and divide them into three groups to attack in waves. Then split our ninja forces into two teams—one to guard the wall behind this guy's position. If he tries to retreat that way, use ninjutsu to block him. Meanwhile, I'll lead two teams to block the front."
"Important: the ninja teams will only surround him, not attack. Let these samurai wear him down in close combat."
"Their purpose is to—"
"The moment I see an opening, I'll give a hand signal. The front and rear ninja squads will simultaneously attack and cripple him. Ideally, we capture him alive!"
With that, Hideaki glared at the young Genin and demanded,
"Masato, do you understand?"
The young Genin whipped out a kunai, his eyes sharpening, and nodded firmly. He then signaled to the rogue samurai group leader and several squad leaders, briefly outlining the battle plan.
Hideaki immediately assembled a squad, commanding seven or eight rogue samurai to charge at Tsukasa.
[A rogue samurai harbors killing intent toward you.]
[A wandering swordsman, believing ninja are nothing special, wants to cut off your head with his katana.]
[...]
[Hideaki, Jashin Cult Chunin squad leader, has malicious intentions toward you.]
Tsukasa had just taken his stance when a flood of system notifications suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Immediately after, a group of rogue samurai charged forward with drawn blades, two of them even wielding katana wrapped in chakra.
This group of rogues was a mixed lot: there were bandits fresh from their latest robbery, masterless samurai turned to pillaging, and some who possessed just enough chakra to coat their weapons for enhanced attacks.
But overall, they weren't particularly strong.
Tsukasa's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked past the charging rogues to observe the Jashin Cult Chunin he'd just kicked away. The man had immediately recovered and organized his forces to launch a coordinated attack. Tsukasa was mildly impressed by his opponent's response time.
He soon realized
This was the shinobi world, not a video game. The enemy was also human and naturally wouldn't just stand there waiting for him to attack.
With this understanding, Tsukasa didn't retreat at all—
He rushed forward to meet the mass of rogue samurai head-on.
He reversed his grip on the blade and unleashed a horizontal Cloud-Style Flowing Slash at a burly middle-aged ronin approaching him.
As the ronin instinctively moved to block, Tsukasa swiftly pivoted and slashed in a circular motion behind him, striking down another ronin who'd been outside his field of vision. Then he thrust backward blindly, his blade shooting upward to intercept a descending katana strike.
Clang!
Sparks flew!
A samurai behind him seized the opportunity while Tsukasa was blocking and thrust his chakra-enhanced blade at Tsukasa's exposed back.
However, Tsukasa leaped backward, twisting his blade around the blocking katana to force it downward. He stepped on his opponent's chest, shoulder, and head in succession, spun through the air, and
Launched himself upward. A spinning kick struck the samurai behind him in the head, and his blade whirled down in a circular slash, cutting down yet another swordsman.
Two samurai capable of basic chakra manipulation fell.
Tsukasa frowned,
Feeling that things were going a bit too smoothly.
The two sides were on completely different levels. The moment they engaged, four of the eight charging ronin had fallen.
Were they really just going to keep sending their men to die uselessly?
"Damn it! Everyone, charge!"
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed across the wall.
The one-eyed samurai leader, wearing an eyepatch and green layered armor, witnessed the young shinobi's ferocity.
He scowled, abandoning any cooperation with the idiotic battle plan that Jashin Cult leader had ordered.
Attacking in waves?
At this rate, this Uchiha brat would systematically annihilate his entire force!
With that roar, the samurai leader took the lead, charging forward with his full force behind him.
He raised his katana, a violent surge of chakra emanating from the blade.
With a sharp pivot of his foot that cracked the wall tiles beneath him, he moved with speed nearly comparable to the Body Flicker Technique, swinging his katana in
A reversed cassock slash aimed directly at Tsukasa!
A crescent of pure chakra suddenly burst from the sword, slashing diagonally through the air!
Tsukasa's eyes focused, and he immediately recognized his opponent's techniques.
These were the signature moves used by Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron's samurai forces, in the original timeline—
Iai Beheading!
Sword Technique: Vacuum Slash!
Hideaki, who'd been observing from the sidelines, saw this scene and couldn't help but feel elated.
He'd deliberately sent the ronin to die in order to force the defected Land of Iron samurai leader—whom he couldn't directly command—into action.
Let him fight this brat,
While his four teams of twelve ninja used the opportunity to launch a coordinated sneak attack.
Once caught in such a dangerous situation,
He couldn't imagine how this Uchiha brat would possibly turn the tables.
Seeing that the moment had arrived, Hideaki's face twisted with savage satisfaction as he signaled his subordinates!
"Now!"
End of Chapter 58
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