Samui did not answer.
The short blade spun in her hand, and her figure flashed behind Kitsuchi like a ghost. Her blade stabbed straight toward the center of his back.
Kitsuchi did not turn around, but the earth beneath his feet suddenly rose.
A stone wall surged up from the ground.
It blocked Samui's blade outside.
At the same time, countless stone spikes shot up from underground.
Samui was forced to retreat.
A slit was cut through the hem of her skirt.
Kitsuchi stood atop the stone wall and looked down at them.
"You can't stop me."
His voice was calm, as if he were stating a fact.
"This money must reach Konoha today. The Four-Tails must return to Iwagakure."
Karui gritted her teeth, her sword hand trembling.
Fine sweat appeared at Omoi's temple.
Samui tightened her grip on her short blade, her gaze moving past Kitsuchi.
It landed on that carriage.
Kurotsuchi was inside the carriage, trapped there.
Iwagakure's hope was inside that carriage as well.
She could not let that carriage reach Konoha.
She took a deep breath.
Chakra gathered along her blade.
Far away, Teizawa leaned against the tree trunk and tossed another raisin into his mouth.
Those three can't beat Kitsuchi.
He silently assessed the situation in his mind.
Kitsuchi's defensive power ranked near the top even across the ninja world.
To break through his defense from the front, one had to be Kage-level.
For Samui and the others, three jonin trying to force their way through would be far too difficult.
But he had no intention of acting immediately.
Let them fight a little longer.
It would be good if they wore down some of Kitsuchi's stamina.
In the end, he would definitely be the one to make a move.
But it was not time yet.
Samui moved.
This time, she put everything into it.
The chakra gathered on her short blade turned into a sharp slash of blade energy.
It cleaved straight toward the top of Kitsuchi's head.
Kitsuchi raised his hand, and a massive stone shield condensed above him.
The blade energy struck it.
The earth shield shattered, and the blade energy dispersed as well.
Kitsuchi's arm trembled slightly.
His gaze changed.
It was no longer that careless, condescending look from before. There was now a trace of seriousness.
"Not bad," he said in a low voice.
He formed hand seals, and the ground began to shake violently.
Karui's face changed sharply. "He's preparing a large-scale Earth Release!"
Samui's heart sank.
Kitsuchi's large-scale Earth Release was powerful enough to change the terrain.
He could bury all of them here.
Cold sweat seeped into her palm.
She instinctively looked back again.
Teizawa was still leaning against the tree trunk, still eating raisins.
But this time, he looked at her.
That glance was brief and faint.
Yet it made Samui's heart skip a beat.
He was smiling.
From this distance, she could not see his expression clearly.
But she knew he had to be smiling.
Her heart suddenly steadied.
She turned back and tightened her grip on her short blade.
"Again."
Her voice was very calm.
Karui and Omoi exchanged a glance, then rushed forward with her.
Kitsuchi's jutsu was already on the verge of release.
The earth trembled. Rocks rose upward. The entire battlefield was in his control.
But Samui did not retreat.
She knew that man would act.
She knew that man would not let them throw their lives away for nothing.
Until then, what she had to do was...
Not let herself look too pathetic.
However, their strength was ultimately only that of jonin.
Boom.
Amid the thunderous roar, the entire ground split apart.
The moment the earth collapsed, Samui knew it was over.
It was not the kind of sinking where one slowly sank into a swamp.
Instead, it was as if the support beneath the entire land had been ripped away, causing everything to collapse with a thunderous crash.
Shattered stone, soil, broken tree roots, and their bodies all plunged together into the darkness.
The wind howled by her ears, sharp as a wail.
The light above grew farther away, dimmer and dimmer.
Karui's cry of alarm came from beside her.
She reached out, but there was nothing she could grab.
Omoi's voice came from farther away.
He shouted something, but she could not hear it clearly.
Not to mention the screams of the Kumo ninja.
Kitsuchi stood at the edge of the collapse and looked down at the sinking land.
There was no expression on his face.
That honest-looking face appeared especially unfamiliar in the shadows.
Earth Release: Core Collapse, one of Iwagakure's forbidden jutsu.
It could alter the terrain within a hundred-meter radius and bury all living things underground.
He rarely used this technique.
Because it was far too cruel.
But today, he had used it.
These Kumogakure robbers, these criminals trying to take away Iwagakure's hope, did not deserve his mercy.
"That's all?"
His voice was very quiet, almost drowned out by the rumbling collapse.
"And you dared come to steal from Iwagakure?"
The collapse continued.
The earth crumpled downward in layers like a sheet of paper being crushed in someone's hands.
Dust filled the air. Broken stones flew everywhere.
Trees were ripped out by their roots and fell into the abyss together with the Kumo ninja still struggling.
Karui was falling. Her longsword had left her hand at some point.
She reached out, trying to grab something.
Her fingertips touched only cold air.
Samui was below her, falling into the vast darkness.
Those blue eyes looked up at the sky growing farther and farther away.
There was no fear in them.
Only unwillingness.
In the distance, Teizawa leaned against the tree trunk.
He tossed the last raisin in his hand into his mouth.
It was time for him to act.
If he did not, those two would be buried underground and turned into two cold corpses.
Although he could not really say he had feelings for Samui, that woman did suit his tastes in bed.
Karui was not bad either. A bit dark, perhaps.
But that wildness of hers gave him a strong desire to conquer her.
It would be too much of a waste for beauties like them to die here.
Just then, the system notification that had been silent for a long time sounded in his mind.
Ding! Samui and Karui are facing certain doom. Host, please make a choice...
That mechanical voice was unhurried, as if it were reading the weather forecast.
Option One: Stand by and watch the beauties perish. Reward: Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet.
Option Two: Save Samui and Karui. Reward: Lightning Release: Lightning Release Armor.
The corner of Teizawa's mouth twitched slightly.
System, your timing really is perfect.
He barely needed to choose.
Earth Dragon Bullet? It sounded impressive.
But it was only an A-rank ninjutsu.
He could casually make something like that himself.
Lightning Release Armor was different.
That was the Fourth Raikage's signature ability, covering the entire body in Lightning Release chakra.
Defense, speed, and attack power all increased across the board.
It could be called the ultimate armament of a taijutsu ninja.
He had wanted that thing for a long time.
Of course, more importantly...
He still wanted to sleep with Samui and Karui a few more nights.
How could he let them die here?
"System, choose two."
He said it silently in his heart.
Ding! Choice confirmed. Reward distribution in progress... Lightning Release: Lightning Release Armor has been stored in the host's sea of consciousness. It may be reviewed and studied at any time.
Wait.
Teizawa froze.
The task had not even been completed yet. Why had the reward been issued directly?
Was that right?
Ding! Kitsuchi is the host's defeated opponent. As this task has no difficulty, the process has been skipped directly!
This system really was...
Capricious.
(End of Chapter)
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