Shinichi's speed was not slow in the slightest either.
At the very instant Maruboshi Kosuke completed his hand seals and made his move, Shinichi's entire body shot forward like a black gale skimming close to the ground, closely following the surging torrent as he sped toward the enemies ahead who had been scattered in disarray by the flood.
During their earlier hurried travel, the two had already briefly discussed several emergency tactics. The extremely quick hand gesture Shinichi had just made signified clearing the field.
Although Kosuke did not understand why Shinichi had made such a judgment the moment they met the enemy, out of trust in this outstanding junior, he did not hesitate in choosing the Water Release ninjutsu with the widest range he had mastered — Great Waterfall Technique!
Puchi! Puchi!
The muffled sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out in succession. Shinichi was the first to catch up to two cultists who had been knocked to the ground by the current and had not yet fully risen.
His movements were concise and ruthless. The katana in his hand precisely pierced one man's heart. With a twist of his wrist, he withdrew it smoothly and, at nearly the same angle, thrust it into the other man's chest.
However, the two cultists whose hearts had been pierced merely stiffened slightly, as if they could not feel the mortal wound or the pain and weakness it should have brought.
With a roar, they lunged toward Shinichi!
Shinichi's brows knit faintly, a trace of cold understanding flashing across his eyes.
He retreated half a step in an instant, and at the same time flicked his wrist. The katana in his palm transformed into a chilling arc of light.
Slash!
Two heads flew into the air at once. The headless bodies staggered two steps before finally collapsing to the ground, no longer moving.
At this moment, Kosuke had already darted to his side like a phantom. Shinichi spoke quickly, "Senpai, there is something strange about these people's bodies. Their vital points seem to differ from ordinary people's. Try to sever their heads, or completely destroy their body structure to make them lose the ability to move."
The moment he saw the blood-red pattern—outer circle with an inner triangle—Shinichi's mind had already sounded an alarm. He associated it with the Evil God cult to which Hidan would belong in the future. Its believers might possess some kind of unconventional vitality, similar but weakened.
He could not state this directly, so by taking the initiative to strike first and engage at close range, he verified it in the most direct way possible and conveyed the crucial information to his experienced companion.
Now it seemed these cultists did indeed possess some ability to evade certain fatal injuries, but decapitation was still effective.
Presumably, the later Hidan who truly possessed an "immortal body" was the one-in-ten-thousand exception among them—most likely the so-called Holy Son they spoke of.
Kosuke's gaze sharpened, and he answered in a deep voice, "Alright! I understand."
The battle ended very quickly—almost abruptly.
This group of black-robed cultists had completely misjudged their opponents' strength. They were hit head-on at the very start by Maruboshi Kosuke's astonishingly wide-area Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, suffering a heavy blow that threw their formation into chaos.
After that, the "divine grace" constitution they relied on—able to ignore some fatal wounds—also failed to produce any special effect against the two of them, who were already on guard and attacking vital points.
Most of the cultists did not even have time to regroup before they were picked off one by one under the rushing current and precise, lethal attacks.
Among them, the strongest was Elder Takahashi, who was roughly at the level of a special jōnin. Unfortunately, the one he faced was the "eternal genin" Maruboshi Kosuke.
A mere special jōnin was naturally no match for an "eternal genin."
Especially not Konoha's "eternal genin."
He realized the other party's Water Release was terrifyingly powerful and tried to use Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet as an elemental counter to regain the disadvantage.
However, the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet that Kosuke performed—passed down from the Second Hokage—instantly shredded his earth dragon to pieces. The water dragon, its momentum unabated, struck him down heavily.
This Water Dragon Bullet seemed to also have the effect of absorbing chakra. After Elder Takahashi was hit, he was not only severely wounded in an instant, but his body also quickly went slack, completely losing the ability to resist.
"Y-you…!" Kurokawa Yasumasa collapsed in the mud, his fingers trembling as he pointed at the two who stepped closer and closer. There was no trace left of a castellan's dignity on his face—only boundless terror and disbelief.
He still wanted to say something—perhaps a threat, perhaps a plea for mercy.
But Shinichi did not give him the chance to continue. The boy's eyes were calm and unruffled. In a flash, he was already behind him, and a clean, decisive knife-hand strike landed precisely against the side of his neck.
Kurokawa Yasumasa's eyes rolled back. His words cut off abruptly, and he went limp to the ground. Shinichi casually took out a rope and bound him tightly.
"I've already sent the situation here through a message ninja hawk to the nearest Konoha intelligence outpost. They will use telephone and fax to report the news to the Third-sama as soon as possible," Kosuke walked over, his voice steady.
"We need to wait here for further instructions from the Lord-sama… As for what comes next, the cleanup will probably be rather cumbersome. Still, I didn't expect this castellan to come in person. That saves us quite a bit of follow-up work."
He glanced at the unconscious Kurokawa Yasumasa, a faint smile appearing on his face.
…
No one knew what kind of communication and negotiation took place between the village and the official side of the Land of Fire. In any case, one day later, the message ninja hawk flapped back, bringing clear instructions from the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The orders were concise and clear: the two were to proceed immediately to Narumi Castle and hand over the captured former castellan, Kurokawa Yasumasa, to the city's security office for temporary detention, pending further disposition; and to complete the necessary handover with the newly appointed acting castellan who would arrive three days later.
After that, they were to escort the captured Elder Takahashi and depart at once for Konohagakure.
...
Three days later, amid the formal and courteous send-off of the new castellan, and the heartfelt, unceasing expressions of gratitude from the townspeople who had recovered their children, the two set out on the road back to Konoha.
The road stretched beneath their feet, gradually leaving the border town behind.
After walking some distance, Shinichi suddenly stopped, turned around, and silently gazed toward Narumi Castle, now reduced to a blurred outline in the distance.
The morning light traced the calm profile of his face. There was not the slightest ripple upon it; only his eyes, reflecting the distant horizon, were deep and unreadable.
Seeing this, Kosuke let out a soft sigh. Walking to his side, he raised a hand and rested it on the boy's shoulder. "Shinichi, you've already done very well. Don't think too much."
Kosuke knew what the boy was thinking. After separately interrogating Elder Takahashi and Kurokawa Yasumasa, they had located the hidden place where the imprisoned children were kept and managed to rescue some of them in time.
However, another portion of the children had already been secretly transferred before they arrived at Narumi Town and sent into the territory of the Land of Hot Water—to the headquarters of the so-called Holy God Church.
This matter now involved a foreign country. What followed would inevitably require complex diplomatic negotiations between Konoha and the officials of the Land of Fire with the Land of Hot Water.
"I understand, senpai. I'm fine." Shinichi shook his head, a calm smile appearing on his face.
He once more cast his gaze toward the distant horizon in the direction of the Land of Hot Water, looked deeply for a moment, and then withdrew his eyes, saying nothing further.
But Kosuke knew that this seemingly calm boy at his side had already made some unspoken resolve in his heart.
At this moment, Kosuke increasingly understood why the Third Hokage had called this child the inheritor of the Will of Fire.
Exceptional talent, meticulous thinking, decisiveness in handling matters—these were secondary. What truly mattered was that beneath the gentle exterior of the boy before him, beat a sincere heart filled with a strong sense of responsibility and profound empathy.
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