Although the Sharingan did not have the Byakugan's ability to see through objects, it still had its own unique strengths when it came to observing energy.
The hidden person had not used Zetsu. Ronin did not know whether that was due to confidence, or because the person needed to continue manipulating others to attack, but he found them.
The sudden burst of speed was not the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Instead, while running, Ronin directly opened the first two gates of the Eight Gates.
During the voyage, Ronin had not been idle. After the journey became relatively stable, he had invested his energy into researching the Eight Gates.
How to normalize the Eight Gates was Ronin's current research topic.
The first two gates were no problem for him now, but starting from the third gate, he still needed to form hand seals in order to enter them smoothly.
However, to deal with a Manipulator hiding in the shadows, two gates were more than enough in Ronin's eyes.
When his flickering figure appeared again, he was already behind a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in front of a game board.
With just a glance, Ronin could see that many pieces were arranged across the board in an orderly fashion. However, they were not normal shogi pieces. Instead, they looked like miniature figurines.
Ronin's fist shot toward the man's back without hesitation.
But at the same time, the ground near the board suddenly cracked apart. On the board, several pieces around the commander's position moved at once.
One arm after another burst out from underground and grabbed toward Ronin's legs.
Ronin's gaze sharpened, but his movements did not hesitate.
He was an Enhancer.
In just an instant, he judged that even if the hands reaching from underground grabbed him, they would not pose any real threat.
After all, he had not only opened the Eight Gates. He also had Ken protecting his body.
Boom!
His fist struck the opponent's body with perfect accuracy.
But even before the blow landed, Ronin already had a prediction in his heart.
This person sitting there and releasing Nen probably was not the real target he was looking for.
And the instant his fist hit, that feeling was confirmed.
Ronin's fist blasted straight through the man, but there was no spray of blood. The pierced figure quickly turned into Nen and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, more hands reached out from the ground again.
But Ronin did not dodge. It felt as if there were already too many fleas on him to bother itching.
Yet upon closer inspection, one could see that the leg being grabbed had already lifted, while the Nen on his body rapidly shifted toward that leg using the technique of Ryu.
Before those hands could truly seize him, Ronin's raised foot stomped down.
Boom!
The ground collapsed. The hands reaching out from below snapped outright. This time, they did not turn into Nen and vanish. Real blood sprayed out.
Ronin's gaze swept across the board.
The commander piece was still there, but now there was a crack on it.
It seemed the other party had also noticed something was wrong, which was why they had no choice but to act.
Pretty smart.
Ronin made that judgment about the hidden person.
But only pretty smart.
The gap in strength between them was too great. Daring to lure him over was simply an act of suicide.
However, there should still be another person here. Ronin did not believe the fake figure sitting in front of the board had also been created by the one hiding underground.
That person clearly knew better how to conceal themselves.
At the very least, from the beginning until now, not even the slightest trace of their aura had been exposed.
But that also created another question.
What was the purpose of deliberately using a fake person to release Nen and lure him over?
Surely it could not be just to send the Manipulator to his death.
Ronin's gaze fell on the board again.
That fully charged stomp of his had not only crushed the "commander" underground, meaning the Manipulator, to death. It had also blown apart the other figures who had emerged from the ground earlier, grabbed his leg, and been dragged by him all the way to the board.
Whoosh…
A sudden sound came from the air.
Ronin abruptly raised his hand, and a long arrow was already caught in his grasp.
However, he did not even look at the message on the arrow. Instead, his figure flashed, and he rushed directly in the direction the arrow had come from.
He was extremely fast, but all he saw was a bow that had fallen to the ground. As for the person who had held it, they had already dispersed into Nen and vanished.
Ronin unfolded the note attached to the arrow.
There was only one sentence written on it:
You're very strong. We admit defeat.
Ronin casually tossed the note away and looked around, but he could no longer see even the slightest trace of Nen.
Suddenly, he laughed.
Because he had finally reacted.
The other party had not been deliberately sacrificing a teammate. Rather, the original plan had been to use the ambushers they had prepared to restrict him.
The arrow in his hand had probably also been arranged in advance. It was supposed to be fired at him the instant he was restrained.
But the other side had not expected that the things emerging from underground would be completely unable to restrict him.
That was why one of their companions had ended up dying by his hand.
Ronin had only been standing there for a short while when Ging arrived with the others. From Ging's expression, it was clear he had not gained anything either.
The people lying in ambush along this coastline were quite cautious.
"Let's go." Ging pointed ahead. "If we pass through this area, we'll run into people sooner or later. I don't believe the other side will really let us pass so easily."
Ronin nodded.
That was inevitable.
After all, trying to go to the Dark Continent through the official route was practically impossible. Qualifications, permits, contracts, and means—none of the four conditions could be missing.
But those four conditions alone would eliminate ninety-nine percent of people.
Even if someone truly managed to fulfill everything, V5 would never actually let them pass. At most, they would send that person to the place where the Gatekeeper was. Whether they could then go to the Dark Continent would be entirely up to fate.
That was the level of blockade V5 had placed on the exploration of the Dark Continent.
Trying to go outside through formal channels was fundamentally impossible, because V5 could not afford to gamble.
On the true Dark Continent, there were not only five calamities. If explorers were rashly sent there, it would be fine if they never came back. But if they did return, they might bring a sixth calamity to Lake Mobius.
In the eyes of the higher-ups, the fact that humanity had not already been wiped out by those five calamities was itself a miracle.
How could they possibly relax their guard?
So, with the official route tightly defended, as long as they blocked all stowaways outside, naturally no one would be able to reach the Dark Continent.
Although this could not guarantee absolute safety, at the very least, it would not add new danger to Lake Mobius, which had only survived until now through luck.
In Ronin and Ging's view, there was only one possible reason the other side had admitted defeat and retreated now.
They were going back to call for reinforcements.
The next time they launched an attack, it would definitely be stronger than this one.
For now, Ronin's side could not catch them, so they could only let the other party move freely.
"Don't let me catch you," Ronin said, battle intent flashing in his eyes, along with a trace of anticipation. "Otherwise, I won't show mercy.
"Let me see just how strong the ability users of the Five Great Nations really are."
~~~
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