Chapter 38: Bodyguards and Mercenaries
Machi wasn't about to let Ronin escape so easily. After all, the four Spiders had coordinated this assault for a reason.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Gunfire erupted from the stands. A dense hail of rifle bullets rained down on Ronin's position.
The shooter looked like an utterly nondescript civilian, his expression disturbingly calm as he fired into the crowd.
Ronin recognized it immediately: Shalnark's Autopilot puppet.
Ronin's hand brushed his customized pouch. A kunai appeared in his grip, spinning once before he hurled it with lethal precision.
As for the bullets? With the Sharingan's dynamic vision, dodging them was trivial.
For trajectories that were harder to evade, a Shadow Clone intercepted them with Earth Style: Earth Shore Return, raising stone slabs as shields.
Ronin reached the tunnel entrance almost unimpeded.
On the stage, the fire was dying down.
Suddenly, an arm burst from the ground in the center of the ring. Uvogin, looking utterly wretched, clawed his way out of the scorched earth.
Half his body was charred black. As he dragged himself out, his arm left a dark smear on the ground—carbonized flesh flaking off.
"RONIN!"
A roar filled with infinite killing intent and rage erupted from Uvogin's throat as he struggled to stand.
He looked like a demon crawling out of hell.
Ronin paused and looked back. Their eyes met in mid-air.
In that instant, Uvogin's world went silent. The roar of the crowd vanished.
Instead, he felt a scorching heat erupting from his legs. He looked down and saw flames—phantom flames—licking up his calves, burning him alive.
Intense agony shot through his nerves. For the first time in his life, the fearless Uvogin felt fear.
By the time Uvogin registered the pain, Ronin had already turned away and disappeared into the fighter's tunnel.
The Majestic Destroyer Flame hadn't killed Uvogin. Ronin was surprised, yet not entirely shocked.
His only regret was not finishing the job.
Uvogin's reaction speed was insane. The only way to survive that firestorm was to burrow underground instantly. Even then, the heat transfer through the ground would have roasted him.
The fact that Uvogin survived without being cooked well-done proved his monstrous durability.
However, surviving the heat left him a spent force.
If Ronin weren't worried about the other Spiders encircling him, he would have gladly finished off the weakened giant.
But Uvogin made a mistake. In his weakened state, he dared to lock eyes with a Sharingan user.
When Uvogin was at full strength, his Ten and Ren acted as a mental barrier against Genjutsu. But now, battered and exhausted, his defenses were crumbled.
So Ronin hit him with Genjutsu: Shiranui (Unknown Fire).
It was a visual genjutsu similar to what Itachi used on Kakashi. While not as potent as Tsukuyomi, against a target with zero mental resistance left, it was devastating.
Hope you enjoy the burn, Ronin thought.
He slowed his pace as he moved deeper into the tunnel. Someone was waiting for him.
A young man with blonde hair, casually playing with a phone.
Shalnark.
Seeing only Shalnark, Ronin actually relaxed.
His biggest fear was Chrollo Lucilfer. If the Boss had shown up, intrigued by Ronin's abilities, things would have been dire.
But Shalnark appearing alone suggested Chrollo wasn't here. Plus, Ronin had given Miria detailed descriptions of Chrollo. If the Leader had arrived, Miria's network would likely have flagged him.
Chrollo isn't here. Good. I won't have to spend that last big chunk of money.
Outside the tunnel, gunfire erupted again.
This time, it wasn't aimed at Ronin.
New shooters were firing at Machi as she tried to pursue Ronin into the tunnel.
The puppet shooter controlled by Shalnark had already been neutralized by Ronin's kunai.
These new shooters were professionals wearing tactical gear. They had been waiting in the shadows for the Spiders to make their move.
Mercenaries.
Ronin had paid a fortune for them.
Their submachine guns fired Nen bullets. They weren't trying to kill Machi—they knew they couldn't—but they were suppressing her movement with a wall of fire.
Annoyed, Machi prepared to change direction and blitz the mercenaries.
Bang!
A single sniper shot slammed into the ground inches from her leg.
A warning.
Machi looked up toward the highest point of the stands.
Standing there was a tall figure holding a sniper rifle. The figure had distinct, elf-like pointed ears.
Usamen.
He raised his rifle slightly in a mocking salute.
But Machi knew it was a threat: Take another step toward my employer, and the next bullet goes through your head.
Machi stopped.
She didn't care about the small-fry mercenaries with SMGs. She could slaughter them in seconds.
But the sniper... he was dangerous. A professional Hunter.
Moving recklessly now could get her killed.
While Machi hesitated, Nobunaga freed himself from the Great Mud River.
He didn't chase Ronin. Instead, he leaped onto the still-hot stage and rushed to Uvogin's side.
Uvogin was alive, but in critical condition.
Nobunaga hoisted the giant onto his shoulder and leaped off the stage, landing next to Machi.
"We need to get him treated. Now," Nobunaga said, his face grim.
Machi didn't move. She stared intently at the tunnel entrance.
She was worried about Shalnark facing Ronin alone. That Kurta kid was too tricky.
"You go," Machi ordered. "Take Franklin with you. I don't think they'll stop you if you're retreating."
Nobunaga nodded. Without a word, he carried Uvogin toward Franklin's position.
Meanwhile, inside the tunnel.
Ronin kept his hands ready to weave seals as he advanced toward Shalnark.
Shalnark wasn't a combat specialist.
His strongest move was Autopilot—sticking an antenna into himself to enter a super-powered, automated combat mode.
In that state, his aura spiked massively, and he fought relentlessly until the target was dead.
To Ronin, that was a huge problem.
His Chakra was running low.
The consecutive Jutsu and the Shadow Clone had drained all of Miria's rental aura and nearly half of his own reserves.
He couldn't afford a drawn-out fight with an Autopilot Shalnark in a confined space.
His choice was simple: Run.
He had to get past Shalnark before the Spider decided to plug himself in.
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