Chapter 34: Teammate A and Enemy B (Part 4)
Hagoromo quickly unsealed the scroll, and a giant shuriken, nearly as tall as he was, appeared in his hands.
Being a ninja isn't cheap; specialized tools like this require significant funding to maintain. This ultra-heavy, oversized shuriken was technically too cumbersome for someone of Hagoromo's current physical stature to use traditionally. In fact, he had to use both hands just to lift it. Standing on the tree branch, he spun several times to build centrifugal force before hurling the massive weapon.
The moment it left his hand, his fingers blurred through hand seals.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!
The giant shuriken reached the apex of its arc just as the jutsu activated. One became nearly a thousand, raining down on the charging Sand ninjas like a localized storm of steel.
The Hyūga captain blinked in astonishment. This kid actually pulled off a long-range bombardment?
The charging enemies were equally stunned. Ninjutsu in front of them, and a rain of giant blades from above—it was a nightmare scenario. While high-level ninjas could dodge such a predictable trajectory, those who couldn't were instantly pinned or skewered. The charge faltered as chaos rippled through the Sand ranks.
Hagoromo didn't stick around to admire his handiwork. He had already leaped from the branch, following the Hyūga captain into the fray.
As the bombardment ended, Konoha's main force collided with the Sand in a brutal melee. Hagoromo sprinted forward, his index finger hooking a kunai from his leg pouch mid-stride.
"Sorry, but you're first."
He didn't even slow down. Using his momentum to maximize the cutting power, he sliced the throat of a nearby Sand ninja. The man had survived the shuriken rain but was trapped between two massive blades that had slammed into the ground like door panels. Immobilized, he was an easy mark—Hagoromo's first trophy of the day.
In a chaotic melee, the golden rule is constant movement. Having been in his fair share of "group scuffles" in his previous life, Hagoromo knew that standing still was a death sentence. He immediately lunged for his second target.
This was a burly Sand ninja, clearly a power-type combatant. The man didn't flinch at the sight of his comrade's death; instead, he bared his teeth in a cruel grin and swung a heavy longsword at the masked boy.
Hagoromo pivoted to avoid a direct clash, raising his kunai to deflect.
CLANG!
The difference in weight and raw strength was undeniable. Hagoromo's kunai was swatted away, but the impact succeeded in stalling the heavy blade for a fraction of a second. Hagoromo used that window to backpedal out of the sword's reach.
The Sand ninja sneered. The brat lost his weapon. The next swing will split him in two. He stepped forward, swinging the blade in an upward arc aimed at Hagoromo's abdomen.
However, he forgot the cardinal rule of the world: a ninja's greatest weapon is always their jutsu.
Hagoromo's expression remained stoic behind his mask. His left hand suddenly erupted in a cacophony of chirping lightning. He stepped inside the arc of the sword—a high-risk maneuver—and thrust his palm forward.
Chidori!
His hand punched straight through the man's chest. Blood sprayed as the ninja's life extinguished instantly.
Instead of withdrawing, Hagoromo used the lightning-enhanced thrust to propel himself forward another ten meters, using the corpse as a human shield. With his enhanced dynamic vision, he had already spotted his third and fourth targets clustered together.
The corpse protected him from the stray kunai and shuriken flying through the air. His sudden, lightning-fueled burst allowed him to skew both the second and third enemies on a single arm.
A word of advice: don't try the "human shish-kebab" maneuver at home.
However, the fourth enemy was faster. Seeing his comrades skewered, he didn't hesitate—he thrust his straight-edged blade directly through his dying teammates to reach the boy hiding behind them.
Hagoromo sensed the killing intent and tried to duck, but with two bodies hanging off his arm, his movements were sluggish. The blade bit deep into his shoulder.
He had underestimated this one. While the first few were likely Chunin-level at best, this fourth ninja was a different caliber. Hagoromo grunted in pain, realizing he had to disengage. He needed to drop the "shish-kebab" and reset.
Thud, thud, thud.
Three kunai slammed into the corpses he was holding. This time, Hagoromo didn't ignore the projectiles. He yanked his arm back and used a burst of speed to retreat.
Combat Summary: Tactical Melee
Hagoromo's performance demonstrates high-risk, high-reward "Blitz" tactics. However, his injury highlights the danger of over-committing to a single physical line of attack in a multi-opponent environment.
Status Report:
Kills: 3
Injury: Deep puncture wound to the shoulder.
Chakra: Moderate consumption from Chidori and Shuriken Shadow Clones.