Whether Konoha ninja truly possessed law enforcement authority within the ordinary territories of the Land of Fire was debatable. However, compared to these illegal militants who had remained hidden for years, Habara undoubtedly held an official status. From that perspective, calling himself "police" wasn't entirely inaccurate.
In Habara's hands, the "fist of the law" was like a butcher's knife – it could genuinely cut people down.
Besides, regardless of the technicalities, as a Konoha ninja eliminating a potential threat to his village, his actions possessed undeniable legitimacy.
"As expected, one can't afford even a moment of carelessness. The instant we show the slightest weakness, pests like you come sniffing around," Shinno said, looking intently at Habara. He didn't recognize Habara's current face and thus remained relatively composed.
Despite his words, the crucial point was that Shinno had no idea where they had slipped up or how Konoha had discovered their existence... Or rather, was their intelligence compromised by this specific Konoha ninja accidentally stumbling upon them, or was it known to Konoha as a whole? The difference between those two scenarios was vast.
Fortunately, these questions weren't hard to answer. They just needed to eliminate the man standing before them.
Shinno couldn't quite understand why this individual dared to come here alone. Did he truly view them as insignificant fodder? The terrifying aspect of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was their sheer scale and resources. Were individual ninja from those villages truly superior to all others? Weren't they all just two arms, two legs, and a head? Fundamentally the same?
However, fundamentally, they weren't the same. The current Habara had nine tails.
"It seems you have no intention of surrendering peacefully," Habara said, spreading his hands with an expression of utter helplessness.
It couldn't be helped. Everyone understood the principle of "leniency for confession leads to a lifetime in prison." Moreover, the so-called police officer was just one man, while the armed terrorists numbered at least half a battalion. Given those odds, who would possibly surrender?
"I have a suggestion. How about we try not to fight right here? Look at all these documents accumulated here; they represent invaluable knowledge. It would be such a pity if a conflict accidentally destroyed this place... How about it? That's a suggestion quite favorable to you, wouldn't you say?" Habara added.
People only feel regret over damaging their own possessions; damage to others' property is usually inconsequential. Habara was merely protecting his own spoils under the guise of preserving knowledge.
Shinno didn't reply verbally but gave his answer within a few breaths... He turned sideways, indicating his acceptance of Habara's proposal, and his subordinates quickly parted, creating a clear path.
Habara walked through the crowd, his composure undeniably impressive. He strolled casually, showing not a trace of tension. To Shinno, it evoked the feeling of a hero walking calmly towards a fated duel, like those sung about in ancient ballads.
Once they were a short distance away, the confrontation immediately reignited, merely with rearranged positions.
They stopped, about ten meters apart. Habara stood alone. Opposite him stood Shinno at the forefront, his numerous subordinates clustered behind him like a dark cloud, presenting an imposing, unified front... like a mob.
A disorderly mob.
The scene struck Habara with a sense of familiarity. It felt less like a typical ninja battle was about to commence and more like they were preparing for a "Wild West Draw"—a showdown to determine both skill and survival.
Everyone had their single-action revolvers holstered, hands hovering near the grips. All that was needed now was the signal...
"Ready?" Habara suddenly asked.
His nonsensical utterance in a foreign tongue completely baffled the opposition. Who could possibly understand that?
But whether they understood or not didn't matter, because immediately after asking, Habara, showing absolutely no martial courtesy, had already drawn and fired.
"Bang!"
Habara flashed through several hand seals. Instantly, crimson, viscous flames erupted beside him, surging forward like lava flows suppressed for millennia finally bursting free, flooding the intricate, interconnected passageways of the underground complex.
Those Sky Ninja enemies, neatly lined up moments before, now resembled rows of bowling pins. As the fiery "ball" arrived, they simply fell... Few ninja possessed the constitution to swim in "lava."
Honestly, due to the enemies' low caliber, Habara's actions could hardly be called a battle. It was more akin to drowning them directly with overwhelming chakra.
That single attack effectively cleared the field. However, Habara didn't turn to leave. He could clearly sense one particular chakra signature first shifting towards an unpleasantly cold and malevolent nature, then rapidly intensifying in presence.
Then, he saw a gigantic, earthworm-like creature burst forth from the scorching lava flow. Its charred skin continuously sloughed off, while fresh flesh regenerated the body at a visible rate... This was Shinno's creation, the artificial Tailed Beast, "Zero-Tails."
Clearly, the name itself wasn't very auspicious. Zero-Tails, Zero-Tails... how could something with no tails be considered a Tailed Beast?
"Who are you?!" it roared, charging towards Habara. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell from the previous jutsu alone that Habara was no ordinary ninja. Someone capable of such a technique wouldn't be nameless.
Habara observed the so-called artificial Tailed Beast with keen interest. Setting aside whether its chakra scale and intensity could truly match a real Tailed Beast, its form was obviously problematic. It lacked both ferocious menace and any sense of biological aesthetic beauty. It merely evoked disgust and physiological discomfort... Doctor Shinno clearly had terrible personal taste.
Facing the charging behemoth, Habara raised his left forearm horizontally. With a tremendous impact, the artificial Tailed Beast's head smashed against him. The size difference between them was stark, yet the expected scene of Habara being instantly sent flying didn't occur. He merely slid back a few meters before easily bracing against the blow.
"Working in isolation yields few results," Habara commented calmly. "Since I've benefited from your research, consider this repayment: I'll let you witness what a real Tailed Beast looks like... It's definitely not like you."
As he spoke, his transformation technique dissolved. Habara's previously restrained form began to expand rapidly, pure white fur filling the artificial Tailed Beast's vision.
This kind of change is commonly referred to as "revealing one's true form."
"As everyone knows, a Border Collie is a Border Collie, and a dog is a dog..."
Huh? Wait, that analogy doesn't sound quite right, Habara thought, cutting himself off abruptly. Why does it feel like I just insulted myself?
"You... I..." the Zero-Tails stammered, unable to process the transformation.
Habara hadn't transformed just for size. Real Tailed Beasts possessed a unique form of attack.
Under Shinno's disbelieving gaze, an enormous black sphere materialized before the giant fox's mouth, then detonated.
"Nine-Tails..."
As the blinding light of the Tailed Beast Bomb explosion engulfed the artificial beast, Shinno's peripheral vision finally caught sight of the nine massive tails waving wantonly behind the fox. In that instant, he finally confirmed his enemy's true identity.
It seemed the old narrative of "the enemy is across the sea" was no longer applicable today.