Chapter 26 — Do You Know the Normal Speed of Human Blood Flow?
Whoosh!
Tap, tap, tap…
A short figure wearing a mask was fleeing at full speed, constantly changing direction. From time to time, he would turn around and fire large numbers of senbon to hinder his pursuer.
Behind him, Shinji—his body wrapped in flowing streaks of blood—was chasing relentlessly!
If the escape route hadn't been planned in advance, and if several traps hadn't already been laid out along the way, he might have already reached a dead end by now.
This man… was terrifying!
"Water Release Secret Technique: Thousand Killing Water Soar!"
"Condense!"
Faced with the incoming storm of senbon, Shinji immediately raised his right hand. The blood circulating around his body instantly split off, forming a crimson crystalline wall in front of him that deflected every senbon in an instant.
This was another application of the Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique—condensing blood into a hardened solid for offense or defense.
Its drawback was obvious: once solidified, the blood could no longer return to a liquid state for repeated use.
At this point, Shinji had already sensed something was wrong. His opponent was very likely deliberately luring him away.
Fortunately, for safety's sake, he had left Hidan behind.
With Hidan's strength, there was no need to worry.
Although countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, they didn't slow his movements in the slightest.
Shinji suddenly brought his hands together, compressing all the remaining blood around his body into his palms. He then spread his hands apart slightly, aiming at the rapidly fleeing enemy.
"Blood Manipulation Technique: Supernova!"
Boom!!!
The compressed blood exploded outward in an instant—like a shotgun blast—spraying the target from every angle!
There was no way to dodge it!
By the time Haku realized what was happening behind him, there was no chance to escape such a wide attack radius.
So he stopped abruptly and made the only correct decision.
Hand seals—jutsu!
"Ice Release: Ice Dome Hall!"
A thick, bowl-shaped wall of ice rose instantly, sealing Haku inside—and the very next moment…
Crack crack crack crack crack!
A dense barrage of impacts rang out in rapid succession!
Although the countless blood bullets sent shards of ice flying everywhere, when the noise finally stopped, part of the ice wall remained—it hadn't been completely shattered.
"Hah… hah…"
Drip. Drip.
Haku gasped for breath as blood rapidly dripped from the wound on his arm.
Although he had reacted the instant he sensed danger, he had still been just a fraction too slow—several blood bullets had struck him.
His right arm now hung limply at his side, half his body stained red. Worse still, a numb sensation was spreading from the wounds, and his vision had begun to blur and double.
The attack was poisoned...
"Ice Release? Who are you?"
Shinji stopped as well, surprise flashing briefly through his eyes.
That physique, that height, the mask—and most importantly, appearing in the Land of Waves with Ice Release…
If nothing unexpected had happened, Shinji already knew who this kid was.
Which raised the obvious question—
If Haku was here, then where was Zabuza?
Clearly, Zabuza had gone to kill Oshima—and at this very moment, he might already be fighting Hidan.
As for who would win…
That was hard to say.
It would come down to whether Zabuza's Silent Killing Technique could sever Hidan's head first—or whether Hidan could draw Zabuza's blood and complete the Death Possession Blood ritual.
Whoever seized the initiative would win.
But when Shinji had killed Gato earlier, he was absolutely certain that Zabuza and Haku hadn't yet arrived in the Land of Waves.
So what was going on?
Why had Haku suddenly appeared—and why was he assassinating Oshima?
Could it be that someone else had also issued an assassination request, and Zabuza and Haku had just happened to accept it?
Shinji couldn't figure it out in the moment.
But even if the Demon of the Hidden Mist himself had come, Shinji wasn't backing down a single step!
Haku said nothing.
Yet from his eyes and his condition, it was clear—he hadn't given up hope.
"It seems you trust the one carrying out the decapitation mission quite a bit. You think you can hold on until he comes to save you. But…"
"I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."
"Because my partner isn't some useless trash that can be killed so easily."
"Even though I hate to admit it, that guy's terrifying in ways you can't even imagine."
"Alright. Enough small talk. It's time I showed you something real."
As his words fell, a strange, X-shaped blood mark surfaced on Shinji's forehead, and the aura around him changed instantly!
Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique: Crimson Scale Surge!
Whoosh!
Shinji vanished from where he stood.
Despite Haku watching with extreme caution, he still couldn't see Shinji's movement at all.
Bang!
What snapped Haku back to reality was the violent pain exploding from his lower back!
"When—?!"
Haku's face was filled with shock as he crashed through a tree. He forcibly adjusted his posture and landed on the ground.
But before he could even raise his head to locate his enemy, a voice sounded from behind him.
"Do you know the normal speed of human blood flow?"
Without hesitation, Haku rolled forward.
The next instant, a blood-red curved blade sliced across the ground, carving through it like butter.
If he'd hesitated for even a fraction of a second, that strike would have split him cleanly in two from head to toe!
Shinji didn't immediately pursue. Instead, as if answering his own question, he continued calmly,
"Under normal conditions, it's roughly between 12.5 and 14 centimeters per second. But when a person engages in intense physical activity, blood flow accelerates to meet the demands of the body's organs."
"So when blood flow speed increases to a certain level, the limits of the human body can be broken. Even though this kind of over-limit state can't last very long—and causes severe damage to the body."
"Which brings us to the next question."
"Against me in this state… how long do you think you can last?"
A crushing pressure surged forward. Haku felt as though he might suffocate in the next second—but even facing such a terrifying enemy, he didn't retreat, didn't beg, and didn't collapse under the weight of words.
"…Timer starts now."
"Ice Release Secret Technique: Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Haku bit down hard on his tongue. Forcing his consciousness back, he squeezed every last drop of chakra from his body and placed everything on this single technique!
"Lord Zabuza… I'm sorry."
"Haku… may not be able to stay by your side anymore."
...
Three seconds later—
More than a dozen ice mirrors shattered instantly, exploding into countless ice crystals.
And Haku's true body, hidden among them, collapsed from exhaustion under Shinji's brutal, unreasonable assault.
"It shouldn't be too late if I hurry back now, right?"
"I just hope that idiot hasn't been chopped into pieces and is waiting for me to save him."
The blood mark on his forehead faded away. After muttering to himself, Shinji casually picked up Haku and retraced his path.
The appetizer was finished—
But the main course was still waiting.