Chapter 21 — Merciless Crushing
It wasn't that Shinji had been careless—
it was just that the way these people had behaved earlier had been nothing like ninjas.
Who could have imagined that the guy who had just been groveling and begging for mercy
was actually a bona fide ninja?!
"Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"
Okamoto crouched down and slammed his fist into the ground. In an instant, he tore free a gigantic slab of rock more than ten meters in diameter, hoisted it over his head, and hurled it forward with all his strength.
The unlucky brute who had been restrained could only stare in terror as the "sky" darkened above him.
Boom!
The massive boulder crashed down!
Even though it was only a C-rank Earth Release, the fact that Okamoto could lift something that huge meant he was at least at chūnin level.
In a tiny place like the Land of Waves, even a chūnin was a rare surprise.
Just like Shinji himself—before being captured by the Jashin Cult for human experimentation, he had only been a chūnin as well.
Of course, the Shinji of today had long surpassed his former self.
"I believe you now—you really can take me to Gatō."
Using his speed to evade the attack, Shinji reappeared atop the massive stone and spoke calmly.
At this moment, an X-shaped blood mark had surfaced on his forehead, signifying that he had entered the [Crimson Scale Surge] state.
A mistake as basic as carelessness only needed to happen once.
From here on out, he would bring his opponent nothing but despair.
"Hundredfold Condensation: Blood Piercing!"
Two blood packs were crushed instantly. The splattered blood transformed at once into high-speed compressed "bullets," spraying violently toward Okamoto!
Knowing there was no chance of reconciliation, Okamoto stopped running. He formed seals with both hands and slammed them onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
In the next instant, the earth in front of him flipped upward, forming a massive stone slab that blocked his body completely.
The slab was two to three centimeters thick, with respectable defensive strength.
But Okamoto had seriously underestimated Shinji's attack.
Under the relentless barrage of blood bullets, the surface of the stone slab instantly became riddled with craters—and it was thinning at a terrifying speed. In less than five seconds, it would be completely pierced and shattered into rubble!
Realizing this, Okamoto's expression changed again. Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the strongest—and only—B-rank ninjutsu he knew.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
At the exact moment the stone slab shattered, a taller, thicker, and far sturdier wall surged up from the ground, blocking all subsequent attacks.
Against this level of defense, Shinji's casually deployed Hundredfold Condensation: Blood Piercing truly couldn't break through easily.
But from the very beginning, Shinji had never expected to defeat his enemy with just that one move.
Okamoto's repeated use of earth walls to block attacks also meant something else—
He had abandoned his field of vision.
In other words, Okamoto had completely lost track of Shinji's position.
He could only assume, based on the incoming attacks, that Shinji was still directly in front of him.
One of the biggest differences between Shinji's cursed techniques and traditional ninjutsu was that most ninjutsu were released once and done. But Shinji's cursed techniques could be controlled throughout their duration.
At this moment, the one firing blood bullets at Okamoto wasn't Shinji himself at all,
but a blood sphere condensed and infused with cursed energy.
Shinji, meanwhile, had taken advantage of the opportunity. Boosted by the extreme speed granted by [Crimson Scale Surge], he had already circled around the Earth Flow Wall and appeared ghost-like behind Okamoto.
A short dagger condensed from blood hovered silently, aimed straight at Okamoto's back—right where his heart was.
After a brief moment of consideration, Shinji shifted his grip, deliberately avoiding the vital point.
Before meeting Gatō, this man still had value.
With that thought, Shinji whispered with unmistakable malicious amusement:
"Shoot him, Divine Spear."
Pfft!
The short dagger instantly extended, becoming long, thin, and razor-sharp.
The moment Okamoto heard the voice behind him, he realized the danger—but it was already too late.
A hole was punched clean through his abdomen.
From a distance, it looked as though Shinji had stabbed him with a blood-red needle.
Shinji then withdrew his cursed energy, allowing the "needle" to revert into ordinary blood.
Because his abdomen had been pierced, part of that blood was left directly inside Okamoto's body.
With a muffled groan of pain, Okamoto leaped backward several times to create distance.
He was terrified.
The bald man who couldn't be killed earlier had only felt troublesome—he figured he could just run if needed.
But this man in front of him was different.
Not only did he wield bizarre, unnatural "ninjutsu," but he had also slipped behind him without the slightest warning.
They weren't even on the same level.
This couldn't drag on any longer—if it did, his life would end here.
With that realization, Okamoto quickly pulled out two smoke bombs from his pouch and smashed them at his feet with a loud bang, preparing to flee.
But after taking only two steps, his vision began to spin. His entire body went numb and weak, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
"Poisoned?"
"Damn it… when did that happen?"
Barely maintaining a shred of consciousness, Okamoto could no longer even speak.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
As the smoke dispersed, unhurried footsteps approached.
Shinji looked down at Okamoto from above. Seeing the deep confusion in his eyes, Shinji raised one finger—as if kindly answering his doubts—and condensed the remaining unused blood into a small blood sphere atop his fingertip.
"I simply dissolved poison into the blood ahead of time and sealed it. Using it during battle creates some… unexpected effects."
"Just like now."
Hearing this, Okamoto immediately recalled the moment he'd been injured.
The poisonous blood must have remained inside his body—that was why he had collapsed.
Faced with such an enemy, he had completely lost the will to resist.
So when Shinji offered him two choices, he became extremely cooperative.
"If you're willing to take me to Gatō, blink twice.
If you want to die, that's fine too—it'll just waste a bit more time."
As he spoke, Shinji pointed that raised finger at Okamoto's head. The blood sphere began spinning at high speed.
Okamoto had no doubt that if he hesitated even a second, his head would be blown apart without mercy.
Using every ounce of strength he had left, he blinked twice as fast as he could—so hard that tears spilled from his eyes.
Seeing this, Shinji didn't even bother hiding the disappointment on his face.
The very next second, the blood sphere shot out—
But its target wasn't the man at his feet.
Bang!
Someone in the distance collapsed instantly, their head exploding like a smashed melon.
"Hey, hey, hey! That was my prey!"
Hidan, who had just finished off the last person, turned his head with an irritated expression and shouted loudly.