"A Jōnin… just like that?"
Kushina stood behind him, staring blankly at Yagami's back, unable to regain her composure for a long time.
It was terrifyingly strong.
He hadn't even raised his voice—just a single, silent step forward.
And an enemy Jōnin was dead.
Since when had Jōnin… become this easy to kill?
[Ding! The host has killed a Jōnin and obtained 1,000 prestige points.]
As Sand Tree's head hit the ground with a dull bang, the system notification rang out crisply inside Yagami's mind.
"Sand Tree!!"
"Lord Sand Tree!!"
A Jōnin—cut down in a single exchange.
The Sand Shinobi were struck dumb.
A sorrowful roar erupted from their formation.
No one had expected the battle to end so abruptly.
By the time they reacted—by the time anyone thought of saving him—it was already far too late.
"Kill him—ALL OF YOU!!"
Shock gave way to fury.
Before the war had even properly begun, they had already lost a top-tier combatant.
The blow to morale was immediate.
Sando roared, swinging his arm forward with rage.
Countless Sand Shinobi answered with furious shouts.
Like a raging torrent, they surged toward Yagami all at once.
This was war.
There was no talk of numbers, no shame in overwhelming force.
They wanted only one thing—to crush the Konoha shinobi standing before them, step over his corpse, and avenge Lord Sand Tree!
The thunderous roars and killing intent rolling in like a tide made Kushina's heart tighten.
She snapped out of her shock and rushed forward as well.
Clang—
At that moment, Yagami drew Shisui once more.
Armament Haki and chakra—both calm, restrained, and perfectly controlled—flowed into the blade simultaneously.
With a low hum, the sword darkened, its surface gleaming with a cold, ominous luster.
Yet Yagami did not swing.
He waited.
Waiting for them to get closer.
Waiting for the perfect moment.
"ATTACK!!"
Seeing Yagami standing still, unnervingly calm, Sando shouted sharply.
He was too composed.
Facing an enemy force dozens of times larger than himself, panic would've been natural.
This kind of calm?
It was wrong.
And when something felt wrong—it usually meant death.
"Wind Style—Wind Cutter!"
"Wind Style: Thousand Faces of Wind!"
"Earth Style—Multiple Earth Spears!"
"Shuriken Technique!"
At the command, the front line of Sand Shinobi formed seals in unison.
The air exploded with sound.
Wind blades, earth jutsu, and flying steel surged forward together, completely flooding the space in front of Yagami.
Kushina rushed up behind him—
And the moment she saw the wall of attacks, a chill ran straight down her spine.
"Hurry up!!"
She shouted anxiously.
From her position, she couldn't see Yagami's expression.
To her, it looked like he had frozen in place.
Chang—!!
Just as the wave of ninjutsu was about to engulf him—
Yagami moved.
Both hands gripped the sword.
And he slashed forward.
BOOM—!!
A blade of light nearly twenty meters tall and four to five meters wide tore free from the sword.
It felt as if heaven and earth had been split apart.
Carrying overwhelming force, it surged forward like a tidal wave.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clang—clang—clang—!
Every incoming jutsu was swallowed whole.
"DISPERSE!! DISPERSE NOW!!"
"RUN—!!"
"ESCAPE!!"
The Sand Shinobi at the front went pale with terror.
Screams of panic and hysteria ripped through their ranks.
Those quick enough scattered desperately to the sides.
RUMBLE—!!!
The slash screamed across the battlefield.
The Sand Shinobi formation was blown apart instantly—bodies thrown into the air, formations shattered.
Cries of fear and unwillingness were erased beneath the roaring blade.
[Ding! The host has killed 31 Chūnin and obtained 1,897 prestige points.]
"…What a waste."
Yagami sighed softly after hearing the notification.
If they hadn't been so cautious—if they hadn't attacked early—
That slash would've taken twice as many.
For a moment—
Silence.
The Sand Shinobi stood frozen.
Kushina was frozen too.
Before them stretched a massive trench.
It began at Yagami's feet and carved forward for over a hundred meters, disappearing into the distance.
Beyond shock…
There was only fear.
This scene lay completely outside their understanding of what a shinobi should be capable of.
For several seconds, their minds simply shut down.
[Ding! 170 enemies have fallen into fear and granted 170 prestige points.]
[Ding! Kushina is shocked. Prestige +1.]
"Sando-sama… th-thirty comrades are gone."
A perception ninja reported shakily, his face deathly pale.
That single sentence snapped everyone awake.
"Is this… the slash that split Roran's ground…?"
"It's monstrous…"
Kushina stared at the trench, dazed.
The shock piled on top of shock, until even she couldn't process it anymore.
This… was far beyond anything she knew.
"Who… who are you?!"
Sando demanded, his voice shaking with fury.
But beneath the anger—
His heart bled.
Thirty-one comrades.
Gone in an instant.
The remaining Sand Shinobi stiffened, staring at Yagami as if facing a calamity.
A suffocating pressure settled over them all.
"Oh—right."
Yagami smiled casually, twirling Shisui once before resting it against his shoulder.
"I haven't introduced myself yet."
"Konoha Jōnin Yagami."
"Please—feel free to learn my name."
The words were calm and confident.
Almost like a casual self introduction.
Yet the faint smile at the corner of his mouth sent a chill straight through the Sand Shinobi's hearts.
"Yagami…?!"
Sando searched his memory desperately.
Nothing.
He glanced at the others.
Pale faces. Shaking heads.
No one had ever heard that name.
And that ignorance wasn't their fault.
After all...
Yagami had only become a Jōnin less than a month ago.
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