"This is better, come and target me!"
Although he didn't know what the situation was, it was more in line with Lock's thoughts. If they were all aimed at him, the others would be relatively safe. As long as there were no super-strong Kage-level powerhouses, he would not be afraid.
When the few people rushing towards him were about to get close, he immediately used his ultimate skill.
"The secret skill of lore!"
In an instant, Lock's figure disappeared, and the six enemies were stunned.
"He's invisible!"
Suddenly, someone shouted, but before he could say anything, someone's throat was cut and blood spattered.
"Quickly find out where he is!"
Seeing that one of their own was killed, the others did not panic, but someone reminded them loudly.
"These guys know my abilities?"
Lock, in a different space, had just killed a person when he heard the enemy's exclamation. His pupils shrank—the opponent knew his stealth skills, which showed that they knew him better than expected.
"Perception…"
Of the remaining five, one of them sealed perception, but the next moment, his heart was also pierced from behind.
"He's—"
Before the man finished speaking, he was stabbed through the heart and died, but Lock still understood what he wanted to say.
"This guy is a perceptual ninja. It seems the enemy not only knows I have invisibility, but also brought perception to counter me. They're definitely targeting me. How do they know I'd be here—know we'd pass by this stronghold?"
In an instant, countless thoughts appeared in his mind. The first thing he could confirm: the purpose of this group was him—at least he was one of their main targets.
Second, the attackers obviously knew their route and knew they would meet at this stronghold. That meant the ambush had been planned.
There were not many who knew their route and his situation. He speculated that these people might be from Yūnin, and there were likely spies from Yūnin in the small town they had passed earlier.
"Spread out, disperse!"
Two more people died at Lock's hands. The lore secret technique hadn't worked when facing the Fourth Raikage and Killer B before, but that was because those two were monstrously strong.
The six who attacked him now were nowhere near that level. Within seconds, four were already dead. The remaining two panicked and tried to escape, but before they got beyond the scope of the lore technique, they too were cut down by Lock.
Emerging from his ultimate move, Lock looked down at the six corpses with disdain. He didn't know their exact ranks, but under his secret skill, they stood no chance.
From his appearance to the six consecutive slashes, only a few seconds had passed. The enemy clearly hadn't expected this. The other attackers glanced over at Lock in surprise, and two more rushed straight at him.
Lock didn't hesitate, using Blink Strike to get behind one of them.
"Boom!"
"Hm?"
This attack didn't connect—it hit only a shadow clone. Two blades then slashed at him from both sides.
"Have you gotten smarter—using shadow clones?"
Lock frowned. The earlier easy kills had made him underestimate them. He'd forgotten that the shinobi world wasn't simple. This world was dominated by ninjutsu, and his skills weren't invincible. At the very least, he couldn't instantly distinguish a high-level clone.
"Ding! Ding!"
Spinning quickly, Lock used his dagger to block both blades. Two enemies, one left and one right, pressed him with precise coordination.
Though he blocked, their kenjutsu was sharp. For the moment, he could only defend passively.
Luckily, he was no amateur. As a student of a famed teacher, his taijutsu was strong. But he was injured—his left arm useless, forcing him to fight one-handed.
That hadn't hindered him when relying on skills earlier, but now, in a straight clash, it made all the difference.
After two or three exchanges, Lock already had two fresh wounds. And that was despite dodging with everything he had. Their attacks grew fiercer, and his defense weaker. If this continued, he would be finished in seconds.
"These two are at least elite chūnin, maybe even jōnin."
He had no doubt. In only a few exchanges, their strength and coordination were clear. Worse, they kept pressing his left side, exploiting his injury.
If this dragged on, he was dead. But Lock wasn't ordinary—he was a man who lived by his skills.
"Blink Raid!"
He didn't bother saving chakra. As soon as the four-second cooldown ended, he used Blink Strike again, instantly appearing behind one of them.
"Pfft!"
The coordination between the two was sharp, but they didn't expect this. One was stabbed by Lock's dagger.
But not fatally—the man twisted his body at the last second, avoiding a killing blow. The other enemy also reacted fast, thrusting at Lock.
No time for another strike, Lock pulled back, shifting the dagger to his left hand and forming hand seals with his right.
His left arm was severely injured. Though weak, he could just barely grip a dagger. For over a month, he'd practiced one-handed seals. While slower than two-handed, it was still usable.
These two weren't weak, and their cooperation was flawless. As physical specialists, they were tough to kill with a single flash strike. That's why he turned to ninjutsu during cooldown, waiting for his next chance to strike.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A torrent burst from Lock's mouth, rushing at the two. Their speed faltered under the water's weight.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!"
Rock walls erupted from the ground, slamming toward them. At the same time, Lock retreated quickly.
The two cut through the rock and looked up—only to see that Lock had vanished.
"He's invisible!"
That's right. Lock had cloaked himself again. Now a first-level swordsman, he could stay invisible for six seconds—as long as he didn't actively attack. Ninjutsu and skills didn't break stealth; only direct strikes reset the count.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San