Inada Takuma led his few remaining subordinates, frantically fleeing back down the mountain along the path they had come.
His gaze involuntarily flickered behind him repeatedly, terrified that those life-taking Chakra Arrows would come whistling through the air once more.
This method of ultra-long-range combat was completely unreasonable.
Fortunately, he had pulled out in time at the last moment and didn't continue to gamble.
The reason he had survived in the bounty hunting business for so many years was due to his caution and his ability to flee.
Those who refused to accept reality had long since died out.
If I can make it back alive this time, I'm definitely going to wash my hands of this and never do this crap again.
Just then, a deep and cold voice rang out.
"Which country's Ninja are you?"
Their bodies froze instantly; before this voice appeared, none of them had sensed anyone nearby at all.
They looked toward the source of the sound.
On the road ahead, a flurry of leaves began to swirl and dance without warning, making a soft rustling sound.
Then, they slowly coalesced into a man with a ponytail and a scar at the corner of his mouth.
Hakugin Sohma tilted his head slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Inada Takuma and his group.
"If you do not answer, it will be regarded as a hostile act against the Land of Fire."
They looked at each other, and Inada Takuma decisively ordered, "Attack! He's all alone."
The six of them attacked one after another, while Inada Takuma stayed a step behind.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears."
"Earth Release: Rock Gun Jutsu."
"Wind Release: Gale Palm."
"..."
An overwhelming barrage of Ninjutsu, mixed with Shuriken and Explosive Tags, all flew toward Hakugin Sohma.
Inada Takuma didn't make a move; he stared intently at Hakugin Sohma, waiting for the opening after Hakugin Sohma acted.
Once Hakugin Sohma responded, he could use the advantage of moving second to ensure Hakugin Sohma wouldn't have time to react again.
A two-stage attack—this was the tacit understanding their team had always shared, and it had never failed them.
After such a combo, even Konoha's Hakugin Sohma wouldn't find it easy.
He had recognized him the moment they met.
Konoha's Elite Jōnin, Hakugin Sohma.
In the talent-filled Konoha, even a figure like Hakugin Sohma...
...seemed lackluster compared to geniuses like the Sannin and the White Fang.
But he happened to be someone who knew of him.
Seeing the overwhelming offensive, Hakugin Sohma didn't panic at all.
He crouched slightly, his right hand gripping the hilt of the sword slung behind him, and calmly drew the blade.
"Konoha Jonin, Hakugin Sohma. Don't even think about leaving in one piece."
He leaped into the air, brandishing his sword.
"Vacuum Blade."
Several flashes of sword light swept across, and all the Ninjutsu and Shuriken in the air were cut down.
Immediately following that, several more flashes of sword light swept through.
Blood splattered from the six subordinates as well as Inada Takuma, and they all fell to the ground wailing.
To leave them alive, Hakugin Sohma hadn't dealt a fatal blow.
He slowly sheathed his sword: "Six Chunin and one Jonin, and I have to find a way to keep them alive. It's really hard to control the force."
He formed hand signs to create a Shadow Clone, preparing to work together to tie them up and send them back to the Village.
Suddenly!
Inada Takuma, who had been wailing on the ground, sprang up like a reanimated corpse, his hands rapidly forming signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Burst."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ground cracked open as a series of dense, small explosions extended in a straight line toward Hakugin Sohma, showing no regard for the comrades in the way.
After the explosions claimed one comrade's life first, an even larger blast erupted when it reached Hakugin Sohma's feet.
Bang!
An explosion kicked up a cloud of dust.
"Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole."
After performing the Ninjutsu, Inada Takuma didn't even dare to look back, immediately using Hiding Like a Mole to speed away into the distance.
Hakugin Sohma fanned away the dust in the air and turned to find that Inada Takuma had already escaped some distance.
Of the six enemies lying on the ground, one was a bloody mess, as dead as could be.
"Truly ruthless, aren't you!"
He turned to his Shadow Clone and said, "Watch these three, I'm going after that rat."
With that, he dispersed into a swirl of leaves and headed in Inada Takuma's direction.
In the distance, Inada Takuma was panting heavily, his face full of panic.
He hadn't expected the gap between one Jonin and another to be so vast.
In just an instant, all of them had been hit and were unable to fight back.
If he hadn't been clever and used Earth Release: Hardening Technique at the last moment to block the damage...
...he would be lying on the ground just like his comrades right now.
But even so, he had sustained significant injuries.
Those few Ninjutsu just now were released with almost his maximum Chakra output, hoping to cause some trouble for Hakugin Sohma.
As long as he could escape with his life this time, he promised that next time...
...he wouldn't take any bounties from Konoha at all.
Absolutely not!
This place is too terrifying!
Just to capture a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, the entire team was picked off one by one, with only seven out of thirty people left.
And now he had run into this god of death, Hakugin Sohma.
He had originally thought that as a fellow Jonin, he could at least trade a few blows.
But the result was... "Where do you think you're going?"
Suddenly!
The voice Inada Takuma least wanted to hear rang out behind him, equally deep and cold.
Immediately following was a flash of cold light.
Inada Takuma's pupils constricted, and the hair on his body stood on end.
In a life-or-death situation, he squeezed out every ounce of his strength, his hands forming signs so fast they almost smoked.
Finally, at the very instant Hakugin Sohma's sword light struck, he performed a Substitution Jutsu at his limit.
Poof!
Inada Takuma's body turned into a wooden log and fell, while his true self frantically fled to the side.
Hakugin Sohma raised an eyebrow at the sight: "Your reactions are quite fast."
He caught up to Inada Takuma in a few strides, and another Vacuum Blade swept across.
The sword light hit, and Inada Takuma turned into a puddle of mud and slowly slid down, his true self having already darted far away, desperately fleeing into the distance.
"An Earth Clone? You certainly have a whole repertoire of life-saving tricks."
Hakugin Sohma was also getting annoyed; he gave a cold snort and used a Konoha Shunshin to flash directly behind Inada Takuma.
Just as he was about to strike again...
...suddenly, a hair-raising sensation swept through his entire body.
A rapidly flying object was hurtling toward him.
His head buzzed, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed tight.
He secretly cried out that things were bad.
The next moment!
That high-speed object, like a bolt of lightning, accurately struck Inada Takuma, who was still fleeing ahead.
Before Inada Takuma could even react, he was struck hard by a massive force and sent flying off the ground.
Then, he crashed down like a rapidly falling meteorite.
His mind went blank, and his body felt as if something had grown out of his chest.
He struggled to prop himself up slightly and slowly lowered his head.
He looked blankly at the abnormality on his body: an incredibly familiar blue and white Chakra Arrow had pierced through his flesh and was protruding from his chest.
This is...?
I've grown a Chakra Arrow?
Before he could figure it out, a delayed wave of pain surged forth.
His insides were in turmoil, and a warm sensation rushed up his throat.
"Waaah!"
A large mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs, was spat out...
more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)