Chapter 58: Battle on the Wall, The Shunpo Samurai!
Mei Terumī's operation plan sounded complicated, involving five different locations and a coordinated final move to reach the rendezvous point. But Ren Uchiha summarized it into just two points:
1. Draw as much of the enemy's combat force as possible.
2. In five minutes, meet at the junction near the underground cavern.
Thus, Ren's task was simple. He just needed to set the battlefield on this fortress wall, face all the enemies, and hold out for five minutes!
His first wave of opponents consisted of thirty-six people: twenty-four ronin, ten Genin, two Chunin, and eight dogs. And that wasn't all. Once the guard squads at the cavern entrance noticed the commotion, Ren would be facing three to sixteen elite Jashin Chunin. In an extreme case, even more would swarm out from the underground.
This was a battle where he had to preserve chakra and avoid bleeding out. Ren took a deep breath, spun his sword, and gripped it in a reverse style—the stance of Cloud-Style Kenjutsu. He steadied his breathing, his crimson eyes grave.
Honestly, he wasn't great at swordsmanship or close-quarters combat. If he were, Kakuzu wouldn't have nearly beaten him to death. But he was out of shuriken and kunai. His pouch only held two explosive tags.
The sword is all I have. Fine... then I'll trust the sword!
On the other side, Hideki—the Chunin Ren had kicked earlier—struggled to his feet. His head was ringing, and stars danced before his eyes. He leaned against the wall, staring at the boy in the oversized hooded robe. The boy's bandages were visible across his chest, and his eyes glowed with a cold, red light.
Seeing the Double Tomoe, Hideki sneered. "I thought it was some big shot, but it's just a wet-behind-the-ears brat."
The young Genin supporting Hideki trembled. "Captain... that's the Sharingan. He might be from Hell Valley."
"I know," Hideki spat. "Just an Uchiha. Look at him—he's alone! And there are thirty-six of us! What are you afraid of, Masato? Did you forget the High Priest's promise? If we take this kid before the deacons arrive, the reward is ours!"
The Genin's eyes turned red—not with bloodlust, but with greed. To them, Ren wasn't a person; he was a mountain of gold.
Hideki, a veteran rogue ninja who had survived the chaotic Land of Hot Springs for decades, was cautious. He immediately barked orders: "Group the ronin into three squads. Attack in waves. Send two ninja squads to the back of the wall to cut off his retreat. If he gets close, use ninjutsu to block him. I'll lead two squads to block the front."
"Note: The ninjas only surround; let the ronin do the dying. That's what they're for. When I give the signal, we crush him. Ideally, we take him alive!"
[A ronin has developed killing intent toward you.]
[A wandering samurai thinks ninjas are overrated and wants to take your head.]
[Jashin Chunin Squad Leader Hideki harbors malicious intent.]
Subtitles flooded Ren's vision. A group of ronin charged, two of them wielding katanas coated in chakra. Ren's eyes narrowed. He was surprised at how fast the Chunin had organized the counterattack.
This isn't a game, Ren thought. Enemies won't just stand there and wait to be cut.
He charged straight into the wave of ronin. He used a Cloud-Style: Reverse Slash on a burly man, then spun his body to bypass him and cut down a second man who lacked visibility. He parried an incoming blade behind his back without even looking.
Clang! Sparks flew.
A samurai tried to stab his heart while his blade was locked, but Ren performed a massive leap, pressing down on the parried sword to use his opponent's shoulder as a springboard. He spun in the air, delivered a whip-kick to the samurai's head, and brought his sword down in a circular slash on another.
Four out of the eight initial attackers fell instantly.
Ren frowned. This is too smooth. Are they just letting their own men die for nothing?
"DAMMIT! ALL OF YOU, WITH ME!" a roar erupted.
The one-eyed leader of the ronin, wearing green plated armor, couldn't take it anymore. He didn't care about Hideki's "wave attack" plan. If this kept up, his entire crew would be slaughtered!
The samurai leader charged forward, his katana vibrating with a massive surge of chakra. He stepped forward, shattering the floor tiles, and swung his blade at a speed that rivaled the Body Flicker Technique (Shunshin).
Shunpo!
Kenjutsu: Rekkūzan!
A crescent of pure chakra tore through the air toward Ren.
Hideki, watching from the sidelines, grinned wickedly. He had sacrificed the fodder specifically to force this iron-willed samurai leader—whom he couldn't normally control—to join the fray.
With Ren pinned down by a master samurai, Hideki waved his hand to his twelve ninjas.
"NOW! DO IT!"