"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a dense storm of kunai shot out from the river, launching a surprise attack toward the unsuspecting group resting on the shore.
"Byakugan!"
Neji reacted instantly, activating his Byakugan.
But when he saw the rain of kunai descending like a storm and glanced at the positions of everyone present, his expression immediately darkened.
This was bad.
Including the convoy workers and their team, there were fifteen people in total.
They were divided into three groups: the eleven convoy members together, Lee positioned slightly behind on the upper-left side as he tied his bandages, and Tenten near the riverbank washing a towel.
Lee could handle himself.
The problem was Tenten.
She was closest to the river—and therefore closest to the incoming attack.
Tenten's techniques required preparation time. The scrolls that sealed her weapons needed hand seals and a summoning process to activate. Even at the fastest, it took several seconds.
But the kunai would land in the next second.
There was no time to defend.
Now Neji had only two choices.
One option was to rush toward the convoy and use the all-encompassing defensive technique—Rotation—to protect the eleven workers.
Lee couldn't be helped either way, but he had enough ability to survive on his own.
However, if Neji chose that…
Tenten would be left defenseless.
"I'm sorry, Tenten…"
In less than half a second, Neji made his decision.
His figure flashed forward as he appeared beside the convoy members. Spreading his arms and legs wide, he activated Rotation to shield them from the massive barrage of kunai.
"Clang! Clang!"
Tenten reacted quickly, drawing the kunai strapped to her legs and knocking away two incoming attacks.
But facing the dense rain of blades, it made no real difference.
Seeing the inevitable death approaching, Tenten's face turned pale.
An overwhelming fear of death surged within her heart.
Am I… going to die?
But just as despair filled her mind, she suddenly felt someone shove her shoulder forcefully.
Instinctively, she turned her head.
"Kirito…-kun?!"
The moment she fully reacted, her eyes widened in shock.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Right before her eyes, Kirito was struck by countless kunai, his body riddled like a sieve.
Blood splattered everywhere as he collapsed.
"Kirito-kun!" Lee shouted.
Using his incredible speed, Lee weaved through the rain of blades. Even so, two kunai pierced his shoulder and thigh.
The situation was extremely dangerous, but he managed to avoid all fatal injuries.
"Damn it!"
Neji looked at Kirito's body pinned to the ground by countless kunai. There was no way he could still be alive.
Neji's face darkened.
Although he had always looked down on this fellow Hyuga clan member labeled a failure, the truth was clear—
Kirito had died saving his teammate.
Anger blazed in Neji's eyes as he shouted,
"Whoever you are, get out here—!"
Before he could finish his curse, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
Instinctively, he tilted his head sideways.
Whoosh!
A sharp blade pierced through the exact spot where his head had been a moment earlier.
Neji's Byakugan had detected the enemy appearing behind him at the last second, allowing him to narrowly avoid instant death.
Even so, the blade sliced off a piece of his ear.
"Oh? A Byakugan user."
The enemy looked at Neji coldly, surprised that he had avoided the attack.
But when he saw Neji's pale white eyes, he immediately understood.
At close range, Neji used his Byakugan to observe the enemy's chakra.
His face instantly turned grim.
That amount of chakra…
That's definitely Jonin-level.
We're not even in the same league.
Startled, Neji quickly raised both arms to guard the vital areas above his neck.
"Hmph."
Originally, the enemy had intended to kick his head off with a single strike, but Neji had barely managed to block it.
The man snorted coldly.
"You're really troublesome. Wouldn't it be easier if you just stood there and died?"
"Ugh—!"
The kick sent Neji flying several meters away.
His body slammed into a tree trunk, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Neji!"
Lee and Tenten cried out in shock.
They didn't know who this enemy was or how strong he truly was.
But seeing their strongest teammate—Neji—defeated in a single exchange was unbelievable.
At that moment, Lee ignored the injuries on his body and forced himself to open the Eight Gates again.
"Eight Gates—First Gate, Open! Second Gate, Open! Third Gate, Open! Fourth Gate—!"
Before he could finish—
The enemy appeared in front of him instantly.
A heavy palm slammed into Lee's abdomen.
The violent chakra surging through Lee's body immediately collapsed.
"H-how…?"
Lee fell to the ground, severely injured and completely unable to fight.
Two exchanges.
Neji and Lee were both defeated.
The terrifyingly powerful enemy slowly turned his gaze toward the last person standing—Tenten.
With a cold smile, he said,
"You're next."
"Ugh…"
Under the enemy's glare, Tenten felt as if she could barely breathe.
The killing intent of a true Jonin bore down on her like a mountain.
But when she saw Neji and Lee lying on the ground—
And finally Kirito's body, who had supposedly died saving her—
Her teeth clenched tightly.
My life was saved…
Someone gave his life for it.
I can't just throw it away!
With determination blazing in her eyes, Tenten suddenly pulled out two scrolls from her backpack.
She unfurled them and began spinning them rapidly.
"Oh? That technique… and the symbol on that convoy…"
The enemy had originally intended to instantly kill Tenten with a teleportation strike.
But when he saw her technique, he suddenly stopped.
Glancing at the convoy's emblem, a strange smile spread across his face.
"Looks like I was lucky my first attack didn't kill you."
"I never expected a simple robbery to catch such a big fish."
Tenten's face sank.
It seemed the enemy had not only come for the valuable cargo—but had also discovered her true identity.
He likely intended to capture her alive and demand a massive ransom from her family.
And yet…
What kind of ordinary bandit group had a Jonin-level ninja?
But now was not the time to think about that.
Tenten threw both scrolls into the air.
She immediately used her strongest technique.
"Ninja Art: Rising Twin Dragons!"
The two scrolls danced through the air like serpentine dragons.
From the opened scrolls burst an overwhelming torrent of weapons—kunai, shuriken, and blades flying out in a density that made one's scalp tingle.
They rained down upon the enemy.
"Hah. Such an expensive technique," the enemy remarked calmly. "Your identity is practically confirmed now."
Facing an attack several times denser than his earlier ambush, he showed no concern at all.
He raised one arm in front of himself.
"Forbidden Technique: Earth Grudge Fear."
Splurt!
His entire arm exploded apart—
Transforming into grotesque blood-vessel tendrils.
They lashed outward in all directions, forming both offense and defense simultaneously.
In an instant, every weapon Tenten had launched was swept away effortlessly.
"As expected," the man said with satisfaction. "The forbidden technique my senior taught me is truly useful."
"…"
Seeing her strongest technique completely ineffective, Tenten's face turned pale.
But suddenly—
As she stared at the enemy approaching her step by step, her eyes widened slightly.
The man walked closer with a sinister grin.
"Miss Wealthy Konoha, you'll be coming with me—"
Stab.
The sound of a heart being pierced.
The enemy's body suddenly froze.
Slowly lowering his head, he stared at the blade protruding from the left side of his chest.
With great difficulty, he turned his head.
"W-when…?"