Hiru, seeing that Daisuke was at a disadvantage and Nakamura Takumi had long been in a precarious position, immediately decided that some changes needed to be made.
If things continued like this, it wouldn't be fun if they all ended up getting stuck here.
Hiru thought to himself: "I have no choice but to use that move. You little brat from Konoha, I'll make sure you die here!"
In the next instant, he rapidly accelerated his attack frequency.
General Niga calmly parried, wielding his grayish-white samurai sword.
In his heart, he couldn't help but be astonished by the richness of this human's attack methods.
Although Niga's own strength was limited, preventing him from unleashing his full power, purely in terms of swordsmanship, Niga was confident he could surpass most people.
While Hiru's swordsmanship was inferior to Niga's, he could always rely on his endless stream of ninjutsu and secret techniques to trade blows with Niga evenly.
Then, looking at Samo, who had been completely suppressing Nakamura Takumi all along, Niga, as the first Shadow General to be summoned, could not allow his debut mission, which he had been sent on, to end with such a stalemate.
Niga also had his pride to consider.
His Majesty had even used you as a trump card. Samo over there is dominating his opponent, and even His Majesty himself is handling one enemy alone.
Why are you, Niga, so useless? In the end, you might even need Samo to come over and help you out.
"How will His Majesty see me then?!"
"Don't I, Niga, have a reputation to uphold?!"
With this thought, Niga directly delivered a heavy slash that forced Hiru back.
Subsequently, shadows began to gradually coalesce beneath his feet.
The shadows suddenly became liquid-like, gradually spreading from Niga's feet to cover his entire body.
Niga's aura continuously climbed higher.
The grayish-white samurai sword also began to be corroded by the shadows.
The blade, which originally emitted a white light, started to radiate a strange, dark-black glow around its edges.
Hiru, seeing Niga concentrating his power before him, immediately stood on one leg, struck a very strange pose, and began forming hand seals.
Niga was preparing to extract a portion of the shadow power belonging to the Ninja Corps from the Shadow Realm to enhance his own strength.
This was also a special ability of Niga's as a General of the Shadow Corps, one of his trump cards.
After the condensation was complete, Niga looked at his palm and clenched his fist, thinking to himself: "So this is all I can manage for now? However, this is enough!"
Then, looking at Hiru before him, Niga spoke in a cold voice: "Human, I have to admit your strength is not weak, but His Majesty's orders are absolute, so your only outcome is death. This is the strongest state this General can currently maintain. Now, it's time to decide the victor."
Hiru glanced at Ryoma, who was furiously manipulating a swarm of snakes to attack Daisuke in the distance.
By now, Daisuke was about to collapse; the Multiple Earth-Style Wall had started to crack under the relentless assault of the snake swarm.
Surrounded on all sides by the snake horde ready to swarm at any moment, Ryoma watched Daisuke, encircled by snakes, with his crimson eyes, holding his samurai sword, waiting for the opportune moment to strike and kill him in one blow the instant the snakes attacked.
Hiru looked at the young Ryoma. "What a terrifying brat. This ninjutsu must be the handiwork of one of the Three Ninja: Orochimaru, right? Is he that person's disciple?"
As Hiru thought this, the cold gleam in his eyes intensified. "I absolutely cannot let you, you brat, grow up!"
Then, completing his hand seals, he looked at Niga, who was ready to unleash a fatal blow, and said, "I was just thinking the same thing. Now, it's time to decide the victor! Earth Secret Technique, Earth-Style Sword Technique: Mountain Cleaver!"
In the next instant, two shadow clones rushed out from Hiru's left and right, attacking Niga from both sides in a crossing pattern.
Niga, unfazed, casually slashed out twice.
An light bloomed on the grayish-white blade.
Two enormous black blade beams were unleashed, instantly dispersing Hiru's two shadow clones.
At the same time, Daisuke finally couldn't hold on any longer; the Multiple Earth-Style Wall collapsed with a roar.
A massive tide of snakes surged forward. Daisuke could only continuously swing his blade and retreat, dodging and blocking the snakes' attacks while backpedaling.
Ryoma also moved. He drew his Shadow samurai sword and vanished from the spot in an instant.
Looking closely, one would see that Ryoma had merged into his own shadow.
This was a new ability granted to him by the Fusion Mask: the power to continuously teleport through his shadow range via the Shadow Realm.
However, although he could achieve teleportation by merely borrowing the outermost reaches of the Shadow Realm, Ryoma couldn't stay within it for too long.
Otherwise, with his current strength, once he was swallowed by the Shadow Realm, he would never be able to leave it.
But while under the Mask's enhancement, performing simple shadow teleportation was still possible.
When Ryoma reappeared, he was suddenly behind Daisuke, who was struggling desperately.
Holding the sword at his waist with his left hand, his right hand gripping the hilt tightly—it was the exact stance Niga used for his drawing slash!
The samurai sword in his hand rapidly condensed a dark purple blade glow, exuding a strange and eerie beauty.
His crimson eyes stared fixedly at Daisuke's completely exposed back, and without a moment's hesitation, he prepared to draw the blade and slash at Daisuke.
At this critical moment, Hiru, who had been confronting Niga, suddenly changed his target and charged rapidly towards Ryoma.
The Mountain Cleaver secret technique, originally aimed at Niga, abruptly shifted its attack direction.
Simultaneously, Hiru shouted loudly at Daisuke: "Full defense, Daisuke!"
Hearing this, Daisuke's actions were swift.
Enduring the relentless pressure from the snake horde, he formed hand seals at lightning speed, even allowing himself to be bitten by snakes, then slammed his hands onto the ground, finally activating the jutsu.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
With Daisuke as the center, the surrounding ground instantly began to tremble violently.
Rocks continuously burst from the earth, cracking, shattering, and collapsing, crashing heavily in all directions.
Finally, the snake swarm closest to him was mostly eliminated.
Smoke instantly rose, obscuring the situation within.
By then, Hiru's attack had already reached Ryoma.
The once-bright ninja sword was now suffused with earth-yellow chakra, hurtling straight towards Ryoma's face.
The thrown sword caused no special reaction in the surrounding air.
But from the earth-yellow chakra, Ryoma keenly sensed an overwhelming aura of death rushing towards him.
Ryoma's gaze was firm; the momentum of his sword did not diminish.
In an instant, the blade was drawn.
The dark purple blade beam collided directly with the pale yellow ninja sword.
Diamond cutting diamond.
Ryoma felt as if the entire world suddenly fell silent for a moment.
Then, the light before his eyes grew brighter and brighter, blinding him, making it impossible to see anything.
In an instant, at the very center of the blade beams, a long-suppressed explosion erupted.
Blade beams of two colors flew wildly in all directions.
In that moment, both Ryoma and Daisuke at the epicenter were blasted away together.
As Ryoma flew backward, so did the broken pieces of his Shadow samurai sword, along with the fragments of Hiru's ninja sword.
...
Daisuke had barely managed to use the Hardening Technique at the last moment, but due to the extreme haste, he couldn't block the explosion's shockwave and the chaotic flying blade beams.
His body was covered in countless large and small wounds.
After spitting out a large mouthful of blood in mid-air, he crashed to the side and fell silent, his condition unknown.
Niga, at the moment Hiru shifted targets, realized Hiru's true purpose.
The target of Hiru's move had always been Ryoma, who was battling Daisuke!
Niga felt that he had been completely fooled by this detestable human.
Enraged, Niga roared and, seizing the moment when Hiru had just used a technique and hadn't yet recovered, swung his enormous samurai sword in a furious downward slash at Hiru.
Just as Niga was about to kill this human who dared to harm his Majesty, and also avenge the trick Hiru had played on him, Nakamura Takumi, who had been maneuvering against Samo, abandoned Samo without a second thought.
He rushed straight for Niga, instantly placing himself between Niga and Hiru.
He bellowed: "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A sturdy earthen wall rose up.
But Niga's blade was only impeded for an instant before its dark, inky blade severed the Earth-Style Wall and slashed directly towards Nakamura Takumi, who stood in its way.
Nakamura Takumi couldn't dodge at all.
He was slashed directly from top to bottom, from his shoulder to his stomach, leaving a massive wound.
His internal organs were also destroyed; he was breathing out more than in, clearly beyond saving.
With his last struggle, Nakamura Takumi looked towards Hiru, his mouth full of blood, and with difficulty, left him one word: "Run!"
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