❇️30 seconds before the Lightning Signal Fire Jutsu and Ryohei's decisive order to retreat…❇️
The battlefield on Seimei's side was nothing short of a scene left behind after a devastating catastrophe.
The ice melted. Lightning sparks crackled around numerous several-meter-wide craters.
Lava flowed as a result of an extremely heated exchange between Fire Release ninjutsu.
Several rocks were sliced, and the ground was covered in countless laceration marks from high-pressure water cutting and sharp wind ninjutsu.
The impact of the collision of ninjutsu overturned the rock-hard, frigid soil like loose sand blown by wind. Deep gouges of various shapes and sizes curved the soil.
Multiple broken earthen walls, mud constructs, damaged pillars, and earthen spears were scattered across the battlefield.
But those weren't the most horrifying things.
Not even close.
What was truly terrifying was the several dozens of mutilated corpses scattered across the ground. Their mangled meat, crushed bones, and spilled blood painted the scene in a gory crimson color.
Seimei was standing in the middle of the carnage. His hand was gripping the neck of a full-fledged Jonin, who was only a foot away from his grave.
The enemy Jonin's dress and body were completely charred, exuding smoke that smelled like ozone. His internal organs had already been fried by high-voltage electricity.
Sparks of purple lightning still crackled around his body.
Seimei didn't waste any more time and cleanly snapped the Jonin's neck with the hand gripping it.
Crack!
A faint, cracking sound of a spine snapping echoed in the air. And the very next moment, the half-dead Jonin's body went limp—his misery finally ended.
After finishing the deed, Seimei finally gazed at the remaining opponents.
Not at the bandits, but at the actual ninjas he still needed to kill.
The real bandits, both the civilian ones and those who had already unlocked chakra, were being dealt with by the Genin-level ninjas and junior and apprentice-ranked samurai hired by Genzo.
Seimei's focus was obviously on the remaining fake bandits.
Three Elite Jonin-ranked leaders, three full-fledged Jonin, four Special Jonin, and twelve Chunin.
Most of them had various kinds of injuries marring their bodies.
The three Elite Jonin-level leaders, Ryohei, Masui, and Katsui, had the least amount of injuries.
They had always acted together. The moment Seimei tried to land a killing blow on one of the three, the other two counterattacked immediately.
They still suffered.
Ryohei had several lacerations.
Masui had suffered from multiple blunt-force traumas that resulted in two broken ribs, mild internal injury, and minor fractures on his left hand knuckles.
And Katsui had a deep wound on his shoulder, which would have landed on his neck and severed it if Ryohei and Masui hadn't intervened in time.
After fighting for so long, they understood one thing.
They couldn't overpower and kill Seimei, not with their current combat power.
At most, they could pin Seimei down long enough to ensure the other hidden squad could ambush the caravan from the back and secure both Genzo and the object of their mission intact.
That was exactly why they were fighting Seimei desperately without retreating, even when their numbers kept dwindling, even when they saw Seimei kill their comrades one by one with mechanical precision.
No matter how they tried to contain Seimei, he would always find a way to slip a kunai, throw an explosive tag, use ninjutsu, or send a shadow clone to harvest lives like cutting weeds.
Seimei had been relentless.
And he still hadn't shown any sign of fatigue.
But they persisted.
They still fought.
All to accomplish their mission.
To fulfill their duties as ninjas and make their homeland stronger.
To make sure that when the next war erupted, which obviously would, they could have another trump card or the resources to emerge victorious.
But thirty seconds later, when Ryohei finally saw the Lightning Signal Fire jutsu in the sky, his face finally crumpled.
He understood that the mission had failed.
It became glaringly obvious that fighting Seimei any longer would be futile.
They had to retreat to send the intel and protect whoever was alive right now with minimal casualties.
So, he immediately barked orders. "RETREAT!!!"
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Every single enemy ninja's expression changed when Ryohei ordered the retreat. They understood what it meant.
It meant their mission had failed.
But it didn't mean they were slow.
Since the worst situation had come, they needed to avoid a complete wipeout.
All the remaining ninjas turned around and bolted without a shred of hesitation.
But the three leaders didn't.
They couldn't.
They knew that the moment they turned their back, Seimei would strike them hard with the intent to kill.
They needed to prevent that.
Once their weaker subordinates retreated far enough, they would try their best to retreat, too.
Seimei watched all this. His gaze was calm.
His blue eyes tracked the movements of every retreating ninja before landing squarely on the three Elite Jonin-level leaders.
He unsheathed his sword and asked, "Well, aren't you gonna retreat?"
Ryohei laughed self-mockingly. "Haha…we want to. But will you let us retreat without trying to rip our heads off the moment we turn our backs?"
Seimei let out a thin smile and spoke in an amused voice, "Of course not."
Katsui, the thin Elite Jonin, asked, "If that's the case, why aren't you chasing after our retreating subordinates?"
Seimei shook his head and stated matter-of-factly, "Not worth it. I have already killed enough. Killing a few more weaklings won't matter. But I am very interested in your corpses."
"Instead of killing that fodder, killing Elite Jonin is much more fun. And losing the capable Elite Jonin should sting Kumogakure badly, right?"
"I really want to see their dark faces. Too bad, I can't."
Besides, I would be a fool to go after those guys. What if you bastards set up some nasty traps along the way, ready to be triggered by some overambitious pursuer? Sure, I can teleport, literally. But that doesn't mean I can't be killed.
I am nowhere near strong enough to smash through every threat yet. I am not Senju Hashirama or the literal Sage of Six Paths. Not yet, at least. I need to be cautious and train for a few more decades. Yeah, that's the plan.
And I have already made you guys bleed enough. The Kumo higher-ups are gonna hate me to the bones already.
Not to mention, leaving the caravan isn't an ideal choice—not when I am supposed to protect it from unexpected accidents.
Seimei muttered inwardly.
Meanwhile, hearing Seimei speak nonchalantly about killing their fellow ninjas filled three of them with boiling rage.
But they knew better than to let their extreme emotions take hold of their minds.
That was literally a one-way ticket to hell and the biggest taboo for any competent ninja, unless, of course, you were an Uchiha.
Ryohei gritted his teeth and spoke in a deep, suppressed voice, "You certainly know how to talk, boy."
Seimei smiled cheerfully. "Right? That's one of my specialties. Even you are impressed, huh?..."
His smile deepened. "...Even though I killed your fellow ninjas one by one right in front of your eyes and you could do nothing but stare at the carnage like three fucking dumbasses."
That mockery almost flipped the switch, making them rush at Seimei to tear him apart.
Chakra erupted around their bodies briefly, making the ground beneath them crack and groan under its pressure.
But they still controlled themselves.
Ryohei didn't speak to Seimei anymore.
Instead, he kept staring at Seimei and ordered the other two. "Masui, Katsui…leave. I will hold him here."
Katsui immediately protested. "No. How could we do it? We are in this together."
Masui was also about to speak when Ryohei cut him off and said, "Listen to me…"
Ryohei took a deep breath and continued, "I am the strongest here, and I have the least amount of injuries. I have the best crowd control and defensive skills. I can hold him off longer than any of you, giving you enough time to get out of his sensory range."
"Even if we fight him together, we will die. We can fight longer, but we will still die. He must have reinforcement in the back. They will also come looking for us once they deal with the other squad."
"So, let me stay. I will die, sure. But I can hold him back long enough before dying."
"Just me dying here is already better than all three of us dying."
Ryohei's eyes burned with determination. "Besides, I am your captain. You must listen to my orders, or I will charge you with insubordination. Now, go. Run far away from here."
"Bring the complete intel to our leadership. Don't let my death be meaningless."
Ryohei stood straight.
Masui and Katsui stopped protesting because they knew whatever they said would be useless.
They just looked at their captain and murmured, "Then, be careful, captain. We will meet you soon on the other side."
With that, they activated the Body Flicker Jutsu and vanished from their spots.
Seimei watched them and then looked at Ryohei. "I must admit, I am almost impressed. But you do know that you will still die here today, right?"
Ryohei nodded. "I know. But it doesn't matter. I am in my late thirties now. I believe I have lived a good, long life compared to many of my clansmen and fellow ninjas who lived, fought, and died young during and after the brutal Warring States Era."
"I entered the battlefield when I was six and killed my first enemy. My victim was a junior ninja (Chunin in today's terms), fifteen years old. "
"I have watched more death by your age than you can ever imagine."
"On the day I killed someone for the first time and saw his life draining away as his blood pooled beneath his cold body, I knew that my time would also come."
"That I will also die."
Ryohei looked at Seimei and sighed. "Who would have thought I would be pushed this far, to the brink of despair, by a boy of your age."
"But as I said, it doesn't matter."
"A ninja either kills or gets killed."
"It's that simple. The cold truth."
"We are killers. I am. You are."
"We are nothing but a bunch of destructive madmen. Wretched souls trapped in the cycle of killing."
"There's no glory in our profession."
Ryohei paused for a brief moment and stared into the distance before continuing.
"But at least I can die the way I want. I will fight and protect as many people as I can."
"This way, my death will be meaningful, even if there's no glory."
Seimei stayed silent for a good three seconds.
Then he exhaled and said, "In that case, be prepared to die."
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A/N: If you like my story and want to read ahead, you can check out my P@treon page and get access to the 14 Advanced chapters!
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