Seeing Mishu kill three people in the blink of an eye, the enemies were shocked. They instinctively stopped in their tracks.
Mishu stepped forward, pinning a fresh corpse with his left foot while ripping his short blade free with his right.
Without a word, he took advantage of the enemies' hesitation and charged at them again.
Only then did the group snap out of it and begin to besiege Mishu. This time, each of them was extremely cautious, desperate to avoid being killed instantly.
Kaguya Chūhei was also surprised by Mishu's lethality. He already had a deep psychological shadow regarding the boy.
Seeing that their group couldn't take Mishu down immediately, and noting that the Takano brothers were tying up several others, a new plan formed in Chūhei's mind.
Since Mishu was hard to deal with, he would kill the Takano brothers first.
First, he held a grudge against the brothers and could kill them for revenge. Second, by eliminating them, the entire group could concentrate their full strength on attacking Mishu.
After a quick pivot, Chūhei stopped pursuing Mishu. Instead, he rushed behind Takano Hiroshi, launching a vicious sneak attack with his bone spurs.
Hiroshi was currently facing three enemies and was already on the brink of defeat. Covered in wounds, he was only maintaining a temporary stalemate by relying on his sheer determination to fight to the death.
Consequently, Hiroshi failed to react to Chūhei's sneak attack. He was killed instantly.
"Big Brother!"
Hearing the scream, Takano Ishi turned his head and saw Hiroshi falling in a pool of blood. Overcome with grief and indignation, he charged blindly at the enemies in front of him, intending to take them down with him.
Unfortunately, Ishi lacked sufficient strength and was vastly outnumbered. He failed to kill a single enemy and was instead stabbed in the stomach by a long sword, collapsing to the ground.
"Those two pieces of trash are dead. Now only Mishu is left!" Chūhei shouted. "As long as you help me kill him, there will be even more rewards when we get back!"
Chūhei saw that some people were intimidated by Mishu's momentum. They were hesitant to fight, even slacking off during the clash. Furious but reliant on their numbers, he promised them more loot.
Only then did the crowd harden their resolve and launch a full-scale assault.
These people had all undergone ninja training and had been killing as a team for the past few days. They knew how to coordinate. Now that they were no longer half-hearted, their offensive became highly methodical.
They didn't just surround Mishu; they positioned themselves at various distances. Some engaged in close combat, some threw hidden weapons, some acted as distractions, and others prepared Ninjutsu.
Chūhei led the charge, using his hardened bones to stick close to Mishu. He didn't attack rashly. Instead, he simply hindered Mishu's movement speed and flexibility to create openings for the others.
Mishu exerted his full strength, maneuvering desperately through the gaps between his enemies. Although he managed to slay a few more people, his stamina was draining rapidly.
He didn't have eyes in the back of his head. He couldn't see everyone's movements, so he only reacted to many attacks once they were inches away, making it impossible to dodge them all.
He could only prioritize evading the fatal strikes, forced to tank the non-lethal ones. As a result, his wounds gradually multiplied. Heavy injuries on his back and shoulders bled incessantly.
I've killed seven or eight of them, but there are still eight or nine left, Mishu thought rapidly. My stamina and Chakra are heavily depleted. If I keep fighting like this, I'll die sooner or later. I have to retreat!
With a sudden burst of power, Mishu delivered a heavy, desperate slash toward Chūhei.
Startled, Chūhei immediately raised his bone spurs to block. He felt a massive force transfer through them and, unable to withstand it, was forced back several steps.
Having created space, Mishu sidestepped to dodge a shuriken coming from the right. With a horizontal sweep of his short blade, he killed an enemy who had overextended.
He tore a small gap in the encirclement and fled with all his might.
Chūhei was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Mishu, who had just been showing such overwhelming power, to suddenly run away.
Then, he became overjoyed.
"Quick, after him! He's out of strength! Kill him!" Chūhei's tone was ecstatic.
Seeing Mishu's pathetic retreating figure, Chūhei felt the dark haze in his heart vanish. The heavy stone that had been weighing on him for so long finally dropped. His body felt indescribably light, and his pursuit speed increased by twenty percent.
"Hehe, Mishu, weren't you very arrogant? If you have the ability, don't run!"
Seeing that victory was in sight, the others chased after him without a second thought.
The chase lasted for over ten minutes. Mishu's speed grew slower and slower, and the distance between the two sides rapidly closed. Seeing this, Chūhei became even more frantic, pushing the pursuit harder.
Bursting through a patch of lush grass, a cave appeared ahead.
The cave was about three or four meters wide and high, and twenty to thirty meters deep. It wasn't very spacious. During the day, one could see all the way to the dead end from the outside.
Mishu rushed straight inside.
The pursuers hesitated at the entrance, worried about traps, and stopped in their tracks. However, Chūhei's desire for revenge overrode any caution, and he began to persuade them vehemently.
"Look, this cave isn't that big. You can see the situation inside at a glance. It's not suitable for setting traps at all," Chūhei argued. "Mishu only rushed in because he saw we were about to catch him. It was an act of desperation!"
He pointed into the gloom. "If you're not at ease, I'll lead the way. Just follow me. If there are traps, it won't be too late for you to retreat."
Someone looked at the cave and muttered, "This cave doesn't seem to have another exit. Why don't we just wait here and trap Mishu inside until he dies?"
Hearing this, Chūhei cursed. "Idiot! The cave is dim, and you can only see the general layout. How do you know there isn't a hidden exit? Even if there isn't, how long would it take to starve him out? This training is almost over; we don't have time to waste."
After a brief analysis, everyone agreed. They chased into the cave.
At first, they were somewhat cautious. But aside from an abundance of dry grass and scattered wood, there were no visible traps. They gradually relaxed.
Soon, Mishu reached the end of the cave. A solid mountain wall appeared before him with no other paths around. He had no choice but to turn around and face his pursuers.
Chūhei and the others caught up. Seeing Mishu trapped with no way out, they felt completely at ease. Chūhei wore a ferocious expression, clenching his fists.
"Mishu, killing you quickly would be too easy. I'm going to break your bones inch by inch and make you wish you were dead!"
Mishu showed no fear. Instead, he looked at the crowd with utter contempt and sneered.
"A bunch of damn brats. Today, I shall grant you warmth and melt your frozen hearts."
The crowd didn't understand what he meant. They assumed he had been driven mad by fear.
However, they then saw Mishu perform hand seals and vanish in a puff of smoke.
Everyone froze in shock.
"What Ninjutsu is this?!"
"It seems to be some kind of Clone Jutsu, but I've never seen it before. When did Mishu learn to use Ninjutsu?"
"This is bad! It's a trap! Let's get out of here!"
Realizing the danger, they turned to retreat rapidly, trying to rush out of the cave. But just as they faced the entrance, they saw a person standing there blocking the light.
It was Mishu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Mishu rapidly formed hand seals, consuming a massive amount of his Chakra, and spat out a towering fireball from his mouth.
The fireball hit the ground, instantly igniting the dry grass and wood scattered throughout the cave. The entire enclosed space became like a roaring furnace, and the temperature skyrocketed.
"Damn it, how does he know this kind of Ninjutsu?!"
Seeing their path of retreat blocked by a literal sea of fire, Chūhei looked on in total disbelief.
But with the flames about to engulf them, no one cared about the 'how'. Surviving was the only priority.
One person, more ruthless than the rest, gritted their teeth. "This fire looks fierce, but as long as we charge through it, we might live!"
"Right, charge through!"
"Charge!"
Between life and death, there was no room for hesitation. The group risked it all and charged directly into the blinding flames, desperately seeking a chance at survival.
As for whether they would be burned to death instantly, or how they would deal with Mishu after crossing the fire—they no longer had the luxury of considering it.