Under the instigation of Ryohei, the hundred or so actual bandits within the group began clamoring like madmen. Their eyes gleamed with excitement.
They had witnessed Ryohei's power. They had witnessed the power of the other two leaders and their group of 50 'bandits.' (Well, the actual bandits thought they were bandits, too.)
Just a few of Ryohei's subordinates easily crushed their group of 100 bandits.
Seeing their astonishing power, any thought of rebellion was thoroughly extinguished from their minds.
They even felt fortunate to become a part of Ryohei's group.
With their power, they plundered quite a few villages and caravans with ninja guards with ease, bringing them immense profit.
Seeing Ryohei's power and bravery firsthand, they almost worshipped him.
Today, Ryohei had targeted another merchant caravan crossing the border through the ice pass.
As for the numerous guards hired by the merchant…
They were not worried at all.
They had killed and looted caravan groups with far more guards. According to their leader, some of the caravans they had looted even included legendary Chunin- and Jonin-level Shinobi.
But before their leader, those ninjas were killed like chickens.
With their leader's power and numbers, they were unstoppable.
What was there to fear anymore?
"WE CHARGE!!"
"WE KILL!!"
"WE PLUNDER!!"
A loud chorus, full of murderous intent, overflowed from the group of bandits. They watched the caravan and the guards in front of them fanatically, like a group of sharks that finally smelled blood.
The actual 50 or so ninjas also felt their blood boil and shouted.
Unlike the bandits, they knew their mission.
This time, it wasn't indiscriminate slaughter and plunder.
No.
That was what they had been doing, according to orders from their superiors to bring more ryo into their coffers. But now they had new orders.
They needed to capture Genzo.
They needed something from him.
They had no idea what that something was. But that wasn't their job to worry about.
Only Ryohei and the other two leaders knew the truth.
"Then what are you waiting for? CHARGE!!!"
Once Ryohei issued the orders, it was as if the floodgate of the dam had finally been opened.
More than 150 vicious people, both real bandits and ninjas, charged forward toward Seimei and the caravan like locusts.
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While quite a few ninjas and samurai broke out in a cold sweat watching the group of bandits, which even had many ninjas with Jonin- and Chunin-level chakra, Seimei was very relaxed.
"Ah, they finally couldn't hold back, huh?"
Seimei mused.
Well, it's perfect. I can move my body properly now. In those last two days, I couldn't even train properly. I couldn't help but feel a little stifled. Now that the enemies are delivering themselves on a silver platter, how can I possibly refuse?
Since Seimei had already activated his Tenseigan, he could see the chakra flowing through the bodies of the approaching enemies.
Not only could he see their chakra volume, flow rate, and pathways, but he could also discern the type of elemental ninjutsu they were most proficient in.
When a ninja worked hard to develop their nature transformation affinities, the elemental affinities also affected their chakra subtly.
This was one of the reasons why the power of elemental ninjutsu increased by leaps and bounds upon developing a certain nature transformation affinity to a higher level.
The elemental conversion became easier, chakra cost dropped, and the power of ninjutsu received a solid boost.
Regular Byakugan couldn't see it.
But Tenseigan could.
For example, when someone trained their wind nature affinity, Seimei could see a subtle cyan tint in that person's chakra flow.
Ninjas who had developed multiple nature transformation affinities had multiple pigmentations in their chakra flow.
The better they develop the affinity, the deeper the visible pigmentation.
Their side has ten Jonin-level ninjas. Eight of them have deep mastery of lightning nature affinity, at least LV4 or above. Three of them have even almost mastered the lightning nature affinity to the peak of LV5. At least seventy percent of the enemies with Chunin-level chakra have mastered the lightning nature transformation affinity as well.
With this kind of lineup, even if the cheap Sage of Six Paths tells me that they are not Kumogakure ninjas in the guise of bandits, I won't believe it.
Seimei mocked inwardly while also taking a jab at Otsutsuki Hagoromo, his supposed actual uncle.
But it's good. If they are too weak, how can I enjoy the battle?
Seimei had no idea that he, a training maniac, had involuntarily developed subtle battlelust under the influence of Uchiha Reina.
Now, his hands were itching for a battle.
Fortunately, deep down, he was still a steady guy. Despite the battlelust, he never forgot to analyze his enemies and create a battle plan like a true ninja—cold, calculative, and precise.
Unlike his sparring and battles with his friends and fellow Konoha ninjas, where he still had the mood to explore and suppress his power for enjoyment, here, on the real battlefield, he would show no negligence or mercy.
He would strike hard from the very first moment.
"Hoooo…"
As he exhaled hot air, it clashed with the cold air and formed mist that seemed to come from his mouth.
"The weather is a bit cold. I should heat the air up."
Seimei whispered as he stepped forward.
The enemies, hundreds of them, had already crossed several tens of meters.
Now, they were less than sixty meters away from Seimei and Genzo's hired ninjas and samurai.
They carried various weapons.
Kunai, saber, short sword, katana, daggers, chain darts—they flashed every kind of lethal weapon with malice as they approached closer and closer.
However, watching hundreds of enemies, including fifty ninjas, carrying deep malice toward him, Seimei was calm.
He smiled and said, "It's time to melt the ice and welcome them with warm fire."
With that, Seimei puffed his chest and kneaded a considerable amount of chakra in his body and converted it into fire-natured chakra.
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame
Seimei exhaled a thin line of compressed fire from his mouth, which traveled in a straight line for several meters before rapidly expanding in a fan-shaped formation.
The fire burned bright yellow, much hotter than the standard orange flames.
The flames expanded thirty meters in width and were as high as a two-story building.
A scorching sea of fire moved forward like a tsunami, ready to engulf and obliterate anything and everything in its path. The snow on the ground didn't even have time to melt as the fire completely evaporated it.
Sizzle…Roar…
Seeing the roaring sea of flames coming their way, the bandits were completely dumbfounded. An overwhelming fear gripped their hearts.
They immediately stopped in their tracks. Their hands trembled.
They didn't even have the guts or will to retreat, as they knew it was useless.
How could mortals like them survive something akin to a natural disaster? Could they even evade it?
"Is this something humans can do?"
A bandit who had unlocked chakra but had never gone through formal training murmured.
The real bandits were paralyzed in awe and fear.
But the fifty or so ninjas weren't.
Although they were shocked at the scale of the ninjutsu, they were experienced ninjas.
Was the situation expected? Yes, definitely.
But was it impossible to defend against? Definitely not.
Ryohei immediately barked orders. "Water Release unit…come forward and use defensive water jutsu."
Even before Ryohei could complete his sentence, eight water specialists, both Chunin and Jonin, came forward and unleashed their ninjutsu.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall x8
Eight ninjas simultaneously performed their hand seals, kneaded chakra in their bodies, and expelled a large amount of water.
The water flowed forward and formed a thick, transparent wall as high as ten meters and as wide as thirty-five meters.
The synergy between the similar ninjutsu and the timing of release created an impenetrable defense that was much more powerful than eight individual Water Formation Wall jutsu stacked together.
And before long, the tsunami of fire came crashing into the water wall.
BOOOM…!
Sizzle…Sizzle…!
In the blink of an eye, the fire and water fell into an intense contest of strength.
The fire tried to engulf the water and evaporate it. And the water tried to douse the fire before it could penetrate the wall.
Although Seimei's jutsu had the initial upper hand, the combined effort of eight water release ninjas and their continuous supply of chakra to the water wall made it difficult for the fire to breach it.
In the end, after a few seconds of intense standoff, the fire and water cancelled each other out. The water doused the fire, but the fire successfully turned the water into steam.
Combined with the incredibly cold weather, the steam created a large curtain of mist, obstructing the view of both the bandits and Seimei's caravan group.
Everyone knows that apart from lightning release, the chakra nature transformation the Kumo ninjas had mastered is water. There's no doubt about it.
And seeing how well-trained the water specialists on the other side are, these guys still want us to believe that they are bandits and rogue ninjas.
Give me a break.
But oh well, since they love lightning so much, I will indulge them. It happened to be my strong point as well.
Seimei mused inwardly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ryohei and other leaders barked orders once more. Their voices were filled with urgency.
"Wind specialists…blow away the mist. NOW!"
The ninjas with wind-natured chakra and mastery of Wind Release ninjutsu nodded and immediately stepped forward.
They performed their hand signs, kneaded their chakra, and were about to unleash their ninjutsu when they suddenly heard a loud, high-pitched, piercing sound that almost felt like the noise of a thousand chirping birds.
CHIRRRRRRP! BZZZZZZZZT!
A relaxed yet clear voice, amplified by chakra, came from the other side of the mist curtain. All of them clearly heard the voice despite the loud chirping noise.
"Have you heard the sound of a thousand birds chirping?"
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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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