"Puff—!"
Before the surrounding Sand shinobi could even react, the butcher blade in Yagami's hand came down.
From the left shoulder to the right ribs—
The strike split the man cleanly in two.
Blood sprayed violently as organs spilled out, splattering the ground beneath Yagami's feet in an instant.
A thick, metallic stench spread through the air, carried by the wind.
"Come on—fight!"
Yagami threw his arms wide.
A blood-soaked butcher knife hung in his right hand, while his left gripped the severed upper body of the Sand shinobi.
The ferocious, bloodthirsty aura erupting from him slammed outward like a shockwave.
Boom—!!!
Every Sand shinobi present felt a chill down their spine.
Yagami at this moment was simply too violent—too savage—too cruel.
Pata. Pata. Pata.
Rapid footsteps thundered across the scorched ground.
Sand shinobi who had withdrawn from Kikyo Castle finished regrouping and rushed back onto the battlefield, vaulting over burning debris.
In moments, Yagami was completely surrounded.
"Come on—come at me together!"
Sensing the presence closing in behind him, Yagami turned his head.
A bloodthirsty grin spread across his face, making the already horrifying scene even worse.
Gulp… gulp… gulp…
The sound of people swallowing echoed around him.
The Sand shinobi who had just arrived froze at the sight before them.
"Lord Ebizō!"
"Don't—don't retreat! The enemy is surrounded!"
One of Ebizō's guards shouted after seeing Yagami encircled.
The memory of Yagami carving through the army moments ago still lingered in his mind.
Even as relief surfaced, his voice trembled.
Whrr—whrr—
Ebizō gasped and came to a halt.
Turning back, he finally saw it clearly.
Yagami was surrounded.
On the walls of Kikyo Castle, the last Sand shinobi who had rushed up had already been wiped out.
"Captain Shinku!"
"Lord Yagami is surrounded—should we go support him?!"
A Konoha shinobi asked urgently.
"No—don't go down!"
"If we go now, we'll only become a burden to Yagami."
"And at his previous speed… if he wants to break out, those Sand shinobi won't be able to stop him."
Yuhi Shinku raised his voice sharply, stopping everyone.
Yagami had personally instructed them earlier—
No matter what happened, they were to hold Kikyo Castle.
Since Yagami had said so, Yuhi Shinku chose to trust him.
After all, this defensive battle existed only because Yagami was confident.
So Yuhi Shinku kept the team in place.
"…Please don't let anything happen."
Kushina clenched her hands tightly at her chest, eyes locked on the distant battlefield.
Her gaze was filled with worry.
"Don't worry—Yagami-sensei will be fine."
Kakashi also stared ahead, but his expression remained steady.
Since being assigned under Yagami, they had faced multiple deadly situations.
Every single time, Yagami had resolved them without exception.
And Yuhi Shinku was right.
If Yagami couldn't win, he could still escape.
Charging in recklessly would only hold him back.
"Why are you all shaking?"
Yagami looked around at the nearly seven hundred Sand shinobi surrounding him.
The smile on his face widened.
"Kill him! Take him down!!"
Pakura barked the order, enraged by Yagami's arrogance.
"Kill—!!!"
The Sand shinobi roared in unison.
From every direction, they surged toward Yagami like a tide.
The battlefield ignited instantly.
Boom—!
Yagami stepped forward.
The half-corpse in his left hand was hurled straight ahead.
A charging Sand shinobi was smashed to the ground before he could dodge.
Yagami followed instantly...
The blade plunged into the man's chest.
Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!
Kunai and shuriken screamed through the air from all directions.
Yagami ignored them completely and rushed straight toward his next target.
Ding—ding—dang—dang—dang!
A storm of metallic clashes erupted.
Every projectile bounced off harmlessly.
Not one penetrated.
The Sand shinobi froze in disbelief.
They could clearly see—
Yagami wasn't using chakra.
Yet the weapons couldn't even scratch his body.
As if he were wrapped in some unseen armor.
Confusion spread across their faces.
"Slash—!"
Rumble—!!!
After cutting down another enemy, Yagami spun and swung his blade backward.
A massive slash over ten meters tall roared outward.
Sand shinobi were blown off their feet as screams rang out one after another.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough—now!"
A Sand shinobi shouted.
A powerful tornado burst forward, charging straight at Yagami.
He had been preparing the technique for a long time.
Boom—!
Still recovering from his previous slash, Yagami was blasted away.
He tumbled across the ground several times—
Then sprang back to his feet in one fluid motion.
Armament Haki had absorbed the impact completely.
He raised his head.
Unscathed.
Author's Note
A new fanfic novel has been released: Naruto: The Kizaru Template.
If you enjoy lazy but terrifying protagonists, light-speed power, and a bit of trolling in the ninja world, then I'm sure you would come to like it.
At least give me some face and read the first chapter… being a little supportive isn't that troublesome, right? Tagged below 👇