Fujimoto's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Inoue's command. The fact that the trio opposite them dared to confront their force of hundreds hinted at their formidable strength. Under such circumstances, Inoue ordering him and his two comrades forward to probe their capabilities was essentially sending them into the jaws of death.
"Big Brother, I'll go test them." Just as Fujimoto was about to voice his refusal, Maruyama, standing beside him, volunteered for the dangerous task. Without waiting for Fujimoto's response, Maruyama stepped forward resolutely.
Behind him, Fujimoto and Tomishige could only bite their lips, watching their comrade walk away into the confrontation.
Approaching Tatsuya's group, Maruyama addressed them, "Hand over the medics and the formula for the Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pills, and we'll let Ansei Hall live."
"Heh," Tatsuya looked at Maruyama, a flicker of derision in his eyes, his voice calm and cool. "They sent a small fry like you to negotiate with me?" Their opponents' timidity surpassed his expectations.
"That's right!" Maruyama's eyes turned cold, his voice dropping lower. "You have only two choices: either agree, or Ansei Hall will be utterly destroyed!"
"You think you can make demands?" Tatsuya shook his head, his tone remaining dismissively indifferent. "You're not qualified."
Maruyama's expression contorted, and he opened his mouth to retort, but before he could utter a word, Jizo's figure blurred. In an instant, he reappeared directly in front of Maruyama. An afterimage seemed to shimmer momentarily where Jizo had stood beside Tatsuya.
So fast! The thought flashed through Maruyama's mind, but his body had no time to react. He felt a slender, strong hand clamp around his neck.
"Noisy." A cold, detached voice whispered beside his ear.
Crack!
With the sharp, sickening sound of breaking bone, Maruyama's world dissolved into eternal darkness.
"Maruyama! Fall back!" "Damn it!"
Only then did the panicked shouts of Fujimoto and Tomishige reach them from the distance.
Jizo casually tossed the lifeless body aside, his gaze sweeping impassively over Inoue, Yuito, Fujimoto, and the others across the field. The sheer icy chill contained within that single glance sent an involuntary shiver down their spines. It was cold, glacial, and carried an inexplicable sense of oppression.
This was a true powerhouse.
"So strong!" In the crowd, Muko, protected by five members of the Heavenly Prison Squad standing further back, murmured under his breath, his eyes fixed on Jizo's stern expression.
Beside Tatsuya, a sharp glint flashed in Pakura's eyes as well. This was the first time she had seen Jizo, and the first time she had witnessed him in action. When had this guy acquired another expert of this caliber?
A light breeze rustled, causing the young man's robes to flutter gently. Jizo's cold voice cut through the night air. "I'll give you two choices as well. Retreat... or die!"
"We'll see if you have the strength to back that up! Attack!" The initial shock in Inoue's eyes slowly faded, replaced by cold resolve. He let out a sharp snort and commanded the horde of rogue ninja behind him.
As his words fell, Fujimoto and Tomishige, consumed by grief and rage, were already charging forward, leading the assault. They would avenge their brother-in-arms. Seeing their leaders move, the nearly two hundred rogue ninja surged forward behind them, emboldened by their superior numbers against the mere three opponents.
Jizo's eyes narrowed. His hands flew through seals with incredible speed.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!
Boom!
A massive sphere of roaring flame tore across the road, hurtling directly towards the charging enemies. Fujimoto and Tomishige were caught in the direct path. They leaped sideways, one dodging left, the other right.
Swish!
Tomishige was still airborne when the sound of slicing air reached his ears.
Not good! He instantly realized the danger, but it was too late.
Jizo's figure flickered, appearing almost face-to-face with Tomishige in mid-air.
Shink!
Under the pale moonlight, a streak of sword light flashed. Jizo's longsword had already slit Tomishige's throat.
Thanks to the continuous enhancement from Tatsuya's Fujinhoin and the Body Activation Secret Technique, Jizo's physical capabilities far surpassed those of ordinary shinobi. Combined with the successful transplantation of Uchiha Teru's Mangekyo Sharingan, his agility and observational prowess had been boosted even further. In terms of pure taijutsu, Jizo's strength might have even exceeded Tatsuya's original body.
However, the price for this power was immense. Just cultivating this clone body had cost Tatsuya nearly ten million ryo in food and specialized nutrient solutions alone. Without the supply chain provided by Ansei Hall, Tatsuya himself would never have been able to support such an expenditure. Furthermore, due to the excessive acceleration caused by the Body Activation Secret Technique, the clone body's lifespan had been drastically shortened. According to the bio-chip's analysis, Jizo would not live longer than ten years.
Though brief, it was enough time for Tatsuya's purposes.
"Tomishige!" On the other side, Fujimoto, having just dodged the fireball, witnessed his second comrade fall to Jizo's blade. An anguished cry ripped from his throat. Win or lose this battle, he had now lost both of his dearest friends forever.
His face contorted with murderous intent, Fujimoto charged at Jizo once more.
But Jizo's figure flickered again. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he vanished into the surging tide of rogue ninja.
Clang!Argh!
Within the chaotic mob, Jizo became a whirlwind of flashing sword light. Everywhere he moved, rogue ninja fell beneath his blade. Screams of pain erupted continuously. Jizo's speed was simply too overwhelming; some rogue ninja tried to attack him with kunai or jutsu, but they couldn't track his movements, often hitting their own allies instead. Faced with Jizo's taijutsu prowess – nearing the peak state achievable below the level of the Eight Inner Gates release – the mob of mostly genin-level rogue ninja were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.
In just a few short minutes, over thirty rogue ninja lay dead at Jizo's hands, including the chunin Tomishige.
"Run!" "Ah! Stay away!"
The sheer one-sidedness of the massacre quickly bred despair. Some rogue ninja broke ranks, turning to flee, unwilling to sacrifice their lives for nothing.
The panicked retreat of the rogue ninja finally made Jizo's movements slightly more predictable.
"Finally caught you! Die!" Fujimoto's eyes were nearly splitting with rage as he watched Jizo carve through the crowd. Seizing an opportunity, he slammed his hands together, unleashing an Earth Style jutsu.
Spurt!
Several razor-sharp pillars of rock erupted from the ground directly beneath Jizo, who was momentarily airborne.
Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spears!
Caught off guard, Jizo had no time to dodge – nor did he intend to.
Clang!
An azure skeletal structure suddenly materialized around Jizo, encasing his torso in ethereal blue ribs. Using the impact force from the rock spears, Jizo launched himself upwards, leaping clear of the attack zone.
"What is that?!" Fujimoto stared, dumbfounded, as Jizo seemingly shrugged off his Rock Pillar Spears.
In the next instant, a pair of crimson Mangekyo Sharingan locked onto his eyes.
Fujimoto had no time to react. His body froze, then crumpled bonelessly to the ground. In that moment, within his world of consciousness, Fujimoto found himself completely immobilized, tightly bound by a blazing fire dragon. It was a Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu.
Miles away, Jizo staggered slightly, covering his eyes briefly. The azure, initial-stage Susanoo surrounding him dissipated. When he opened his eyes again, the Mangekyo Sharingan pattern had faded, replaced by normal eyes.
"Is that... the Sharingan?!" Opposite them, Inoue and Suien exclaimed almost simultaneously in shock. They had both caught the fleeting glimpse of those crimson eyes.
Beside Tatsuya, Pakura's eyes widened with astonished suspicion. Tatsuya's words upon arriving in Yamanashi Castle echoed in her mind – about fighting a madman who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Could this Jizo be that Uchiha?
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