"Boom!"
A violent tremor ignited the collective fear in an instant. It was as if a match had been struck in a room filled with gas; the atmosphere exploded.
The Evil-Faced Ghost Snake, carrying a terrifying momentum, tore through the ground and appeared instantly in the center of the Hidden Steam Village!
Mori Shiraishi was shrouded in a black cloak, his silver-white hair fluttering slowly with the air currents. He stood atop the head of the Evil-Faced Ghost Snake, arms crossed, looking down at the village that reeked of rot.
"Feel it..."
"Feel our rage."
A scorching fireball erupted from the mouth of the Evil-Faced Ghost Snake, striking the main building in the center of the village head-on. Dazzling flames tore through the night, and the resulting terrifying explosion struck fear into the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
Following Mori Shiraishi's signal, the Ghoul army that had been waiting outside surged forward. They launched a frenzied assault on the defensive outposts surrounding the Hidden Steam Village. The entire village was instantly plunged into chaos.
No one had expected Mori Shiraishi to launch a direct raid into the heart of the village under the cover of night. Such a bold move clearly shook the resolve of the frontline ninjas. After all, weren't they fighting at the borders for their families and property within the village? Now that their home base was being raided, what was the point of fighting?
Infected by this atmosphere, the Hidden Steam Ninja were driven back step by step by the Ghouls, despite possessing the geographical advantage! Various types of Kagune were frantically harvesting the lives of the enemy on the battlefield.
As for the ninjas stationed in the village, after a brief period of panic, they finally organized a counterattack. Kamimoto stood on a rooftop, directing the numerous ninjas in battle. Facing the giant snake, which was dozens of meters tall, these Hidden Steam Ninja clearly looked terrified.
"Use Paper Bombs to take down that monster snake!"
At Kamimoto's command, dozens of kunai flew toward the hideous ghost snake covered in skeletal armor. In an instant, dozens of Paper Bombs were detonated in succession, the flames and light of the explosions briefly illuminating the sky.
From within the smoke, a crimson light emerged. In the center of its bone-crafted mask, the ghost snake's crimson pupil radiated a terrifying pressure.
"How is this possible? So many Paper Bombs and they didn't even cause fatal damage?"
The Hidden Steam Ninja watched the unharmed ghost snake in disbelief. Kamimoto's face was equally grim as he ordered, "Keep attacking from different directions! Find the enemy's weakness immediately!"
Just as he finished speaking, the ghost snake—irritated by the stinging explosions—began to writhe its body. Its sharp exoskeletal plates easily tore through the smoke lingering in the air. Its hideous tail swept out with brute force, and the houses in its path collapsed like building blocks.
With one strike, it leveled over a dozen buildings. Two ninjas were killed instantly, several others were wounded, and the casualties among civilians were countless.
This wasn't all. A pair of massive black shadows quickly rushed into the group of ninjas.
"What is this monster..."
Just as the ninjas tried to put some distance between them, the heavy, massive fleshy wings were suddenly retracted. A pair of crimson eyes swept over them.
"Feel the pain."
Mori Shiraishi's pupils contracted to the extreme, forming a tiny red dot. Countless crimson blood vessels spread from that dot to the edges of his eye sockets. He looked exactly like a... Ghoul.
Facing this terrifying individual, a Hidden Steam Ninja finally summoned his courage and aimed his blade at Mori Shiraishi.
"Don't be afraid! To protect the village, let's go together!"
As soon as he spoke, Mori Shiraishi appeared atop the edge of his blade, his feet planted on the back of the sword as if walking on flat ground.
"Such admirable courage."
The ninja instantly flipped the sword, trying to throw Mori Shiraishi off. Unexpectedly, Mori Shiraishi spun with the motion, braced himself with one hand, and stood inverted on the ground. His Rinkaku flashed, and the brave ninja instantly lost his head. The sheer force caused the head to spin multiple times before it crashed heavily onto the ground.
Mori Shiraishi's gaze swept over the crowd as he asked politely, "And the rest of you?"
Clearly, the ninjas did not appreciate his politeness. They angrily wove hand signs.
"Monster, die!"
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
A stream of water, rapidly compressed in the mouth, shot toward Mori Shiraishi. However, it was easily deflected by the Koukaku that had grown from his body.
Mori Shiraishi's eyes flashed with a red light in the darkness. His current speed was not something these Genin and Chunin could track. He appeared in the middle of the crowd almost instantly.
"So fast!"
Before the ninjas could react, the six Rinkaku on Mori Shiraishi's back shot out like a storm, easily piercing through all of them. Retracting the blood-stained Rinkaku, he calmly faced the approaching reinforcements, beginning a massacre like a killing machine.
Blood stained the night. These ninjas were completely outmatched by Mori Shiraishi. Their weapons could not penetrate the Koukaku on his body, while his Koukaku and Rinkaku could easily slaughter them. This was nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
With a shout, a massive amount of chakra altered the geological structure beneath Mori Shiraishi's feet, turning it into a swamp. Mori Shiraishi raised an eyebrow, his silver-white hair swaying slightly.
"The real enemy is here, caw."
A Raven cried out in the sky, sounding like a whisper from the Reaper. Yellow mud wrapped around Mori Shiraishi's ankles. Immediately after, a large blade emerged from the swamp, its sharp edge slashing toward his neck.
At the critical moment, a spear-like Koukaku grew from Mori Shiraishi's shoulder, perfectly blocking the attack. The four Rinkaku on his back slammed into the mire, and the massive fleshy wings on his back flapped violently. Relying on sheer strength, he flew into the air.
Seeing the figure in the swamp dissolve into yellow mud, Mori Shiraishi frowned.
"A clone?"
The Hidden Steam Ninja's counteroffensive was clearly not that simple. Just as he broke free from the swamp's restriction, several senbon followed. The moment they touched the Koukaku, the Lightning Style chakra they carried exploded. It transformed into terrifying lightning that raged wildly across Mori Shiraishi's body.
"Damn it, my body won't move."
Mori Shiraishi tried to move his limbs, only to find his entire body paralyzed.
"Now!"
A portly figure materialized from a nearby wall, gripping the same massive cleaver and severing the fleshy wings on Mori Shiraishi's back!
"Now you've lost your ability to fly."
The figure stood on the wall, looking down at the fallen Mori Shiraishi. Another tall, thin figure suddenly appeared beside him. If nothing else, this man was likely the ninja who had used the Lightning Style.
In just a split second, Mori Shiraishi was once again in grave danger. This was what it meant to fight against ninjas.