"Heyyy!"
An Anbu wearing a fox mask shouted urgently, intensifying his attacks in an attempt to restrain Hozuki Zangetsu.
Hozuki Zangetsu gave a ferocious grin, seizing this opening. He ignored the attacks from the other two, his body transforming into water flow as he abruptly charged in front of Mei Terumi. The kunai in his hand was wrapped with a highly condensed water blade, aiming straight for her throat!
"I'll deal with you, you troublesome brat, first!"
It seemed Mei Terumi was about to meet her end.
In the distance, Sora's gaze sharpened, but he still did not move.
He was waiting, waiting for the most opportune moment.
At the critical moment, that fox-masked Anbu threw himself forward, using his back to forcefully block Hozuki Zangetsu's fatal strike. The water blade pierced through his shoulder area, blood spurting out!
"Captain!"
Mei Terumi cried out in alarm.
The other two Anbu were furious, their attacks falling like a violent storm, forcing Hozuki Zangetsu to defend himself.
After this fierce battle, both sides had paid a price.
Hozuki Zangetsu now had several more wounds on his body. Though not fatal, his Water Transformation Jutsu had been disrupted multiple times by Lightning Release, his chakra consumption was enormous, and his aura had noticeably weakened considerably.
On the Kirigakure Anbu side, the captain was severely injured, Mei Terumi had minor injuries, and the other two were also quite drained.
The situation temporarily reached a stalemate. Both sides were catching their breath, searching for the next opportunity to strike a decisive blow.
Hozuki Zangetsu's eyes flickered, and the thought of retreat emerged.
The Kirigakure Anbu, meanwhile, kept a tight watch on him, preventing his escape.
'Now!'
In the distance, a glint flashed in Sora's eyes!
He moved instantly, like a leopard that had been lying in wait for a long time!
Relying on physical strength, chakra explosion, and wind element enhancement, his speed reached an extreme level. He left an almost invisible white line on the sea surface, covering the three-mile distance in just a few breaths!
On the island, the two sides in confrontation almost simultaneously sensed a sharp, overwhelming aura approaching from afar at a terrifying speed!
"Who is it?!"
Hozuki Zangetsu and the fox-masked captain both shouted sharply.
However, the response was a figure so fast it was blurred!
Sora's target was crystal clear, Hozuki Zangetsu!
He completely ignored the four Kirigakure Anbu beside him. Taking advantage of the tiny opening created by Hozuki Zangetsu's shock, he instantly closed in before him!
His right hand formed into a knife-hand, lightning flashing, piercing with pinpoint accuracy towards the faintly visible physical core of Hozuki Zangetsu's body as he maintained his Water Transformation Jutsu!
"Pfft!"
The speed was so fast that Hozuki Zangetsu had no time to react. He couldn't even fully transform into water flow before the lightning-charged hand blade pierced through his chest, accurately destroying his heart.
The ferocious grin on Hozuki Zangetsu's face froze, turning into disbelief and astonishment. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, the light in his eyes rapidly fading.
Having succeeded with one strike, Sora didn't pause for a moment. The sealing scroll prepared in his left hand unfurled, instantly sealing Hozuki Zangetsu's corpse within.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, happening in the blink of an eye!
Only then did the four Kirigakure Anbu fully react.
"Bastard! Leave the rogue ninja!"
The injured fox-masked captain roared through the pain.
The other two jonin Anbu also immediately formed hand seals, attempting to intercept.
Mei Terumi gritted her teeth, once again gathering Lava Release.
But Sora gave them no chance.
He coldly swept his gaze over the four vigilant Kirigakure Anbu, his eyes lingering on Mei Terumi for a moment longer. He noticed that the 12-year-old Mei Terumi currently didn't have much in terms of figure and felt a slight disappointment.
Immediately, his figure swayed, retreating backward like a ghost, his speed even faster than when he arrived!
"Stop!"
Just as Sora's figure was about to vanish into the forest, a clear female voice rang out.
Mei Terumi had somehow already removed her mask, revealing a delicate face still carrying childishness but already showing signs of charm. Her green eyes stared intently at Sora's retreating back, asking loudly with unwillingness:
"Just who are you?!"
Sora's departing movement paused slightly, but he did not turn his head:
"Vermilion Bird."
Before his words finished, his figure had completely disappeared deep into the dense forest, as if he had never appeared.
The four Kirigakure Anbu wanted to give chase, but their captain was severely wounded, Mei Terumi was not in good condition, and the other party's speed was extraordinarily fast. They lost all trace of him in an instant, and could only look unwillingly in the direction Sora had disappeared.
The fox-masked captain clutched his bleeding shoulder, his expression under the mask extremely grim:
"Vermilion Bird... an unheard-of codename... which organization does he belong to? How dare he snatch our Kirigakure's target!"
Mei Terumi stood in place, still holding that white dove mask in her hand. Her eyes looked towards the empty forest, the indifferent voice and that name echoing in her mind.
"Vermilion Bird..."
She repeated it softly, engraving this codename and those eyes that had swept over her through the Vermilion Bird mask together in her heart.
...
In a stretch of sea far from the small island, Sora revealed himself. After confirming he wasn't followed, he removed the Vermilion Bird mask from his face.
He looked at the sealing scroll in his hand, inside which was sealed the target worth twenty-three million ryo.
'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Saves time and effort, good.'
Hozuki Zangetsu was an elite jonin with a Kekkei Genkai. Even if Sora faced him alone, it would require some effort. Being able to pick up such an advantage was naturally best.
As for snatching the prey from the Kirigakure Anbu, Sora felt not the slightest psychological burden.
In the shinobi world, strength is the rule.
Putting the scroll away, Sora no longer lingered, speeding off towards the direction of the bounty exchange.
...
Land of Water, Bounty Exchange.
When Sora, once again wearing the Vermilion Bird mask, stepped into that dim, noisy underground base, he could clearly feel several gazes instantly focus on him.
Sora ignored this completely, walking straight towards the reception counter.
He placed the scrolls sealing the pirate leader's proof of identity and Hozuki Zangetsu's corpse on the counter, pushing them over.
The old man behind the counter still had that expressionless look. He opened the scrolls, carefully examining the proof.
When confirming Hozuki Zangetsu's identity, a trace of surprise also flickered in his impassive eyes.
After all, this mission had been posted here for some time, and its difficulty was universally acknowledged as extremely high.
"Mission confirmed as completed. 'Raging Waves' pirate group eradication mission, bounty twelve million ryo, twenty percent commission deducted, actual payment nine million six hundred thousand ryo."
"Rogue ninja Hozuki Zangetsu capture mission, bounty twenty-three million ryo, twenty percent commission deducted, actual payment eighteen million four hundred thousand ryo."
"Total twenty-eight million ryo."
The old man counted out the corresponding banknotes, pushing them towards Sora.
This amount made the breathing of several people in the hall who were straining to listen grow noticeably heavier.
Sora calmly accepted them, checked they were correct, and placed them inside his clothing.
Twenty-eight million ryo, added to the gains from earlier pirate eradication, meant the funds on his person had now surpassed the thirty-five million ryo mark.
He didn't leave immediately, instead walking back to the bounty board again.
Under the gazes of the others, now tinged with hidden awe, he quickly accepted several more missions within the Land of Water, with bounties totaling around fifteen million ryo.
The targets were all powerful rogue ninjas or criminals with relatively clear whereabouts.
The codename 'Vermilion Bird' also began to quietly spread within this small circle, accompanying Sora's clean and efficient completion of two high-difficulty missions and his subsequent acceptance of new tasks.
Interestingly, after leaving the bounty exchange, Sora, even carrying a huge sum, did not encounter any ambushes.
Sora thought about it briefly and understood. The two missions he just completed were of a difficulty level far beyond ordinary people's reach. Those who mixed in this line of work had sharp eyes; few would actively seek death knowing they were no match.
After all, not everyone was like Kakuzu, who possessed both strength and a 'gold-bug' obsessed brain.
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