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Although he didn't know exactly where the attack came from, Hagoromo rapidly retreated.
Three kunai struck the corpses Hagoromo was using as a meat shield once again. The smell of gunpowder and the flash of smoke warned him these were no ordinary kunai.
They were rigged.
Tied to the rings at the end of these kunai by thin threads were small pieces of paper covered in formulaic writing.
These were officially known as Explosive Tags.
Generally speaking, Explosive Tags were incredibly practical and powerful ninja tools. Their destructive force could rival a standard B-rank offensive ninjutsu.
A direct hit meant death or severe injury. Assuming, of course, they actually hit.
Completely disregarding the bodies of their own comrades—this was the true, ruthless nature of war between ninja.
Boom! A massive explosion erupted. A rain of blood showered down around Hagoromo, staining his clothes, but he didn't care.
The shockwave from the blast sent Hagoromo flying.
Just as his body traced a shallow arc through the air, clearing the smoke, three Sand ninja lunged at him simultaneously.
Did he really look like such a helpless target?
The Chidori in his hand morphed into a blade of light. Hagoromo forcefully twisted his body in mid-air.
Using the momentum from the blast, he spun rapidly. Wielding the Chidori Sharp Spear, he instantly transformed into a glowing buzzsaw!
Chidori: Shadow Leaf Dance!
The three Sand ninja who had leapt up to attack him were cleanly sliced in half mid-air, meeting zero resistance.
The ninja who threw the tags hadn't pursued. He coldly watched his comrades get slaughtered.
As Hagoromo finished his attack, he curled his body, landed smoothly, and immediately pushed off his legs to retreat again.
He closed the distance toward his Konoha allies and entered a standoff with that specific enemy. Explosive tag ambushes aside, this particular opponent warranted his full attention.
With no time to tally his kills, Hagoromo gritted his teeth and yanked several shuriken out of his arms and legs.
The explosion hadn't caused any critical damage, but it had launched him into the air. Dodging shuriken mid-flight was nearly impossible.
He had avoided fatal wounds but still took several hits.
Next, he pulled several glass vials from his pouch and quickly tossed an assortment of pills into his mouth.
Aside from blood-replenishing and blood-clotting pills, the most crucial ones were the antidotes. Having been hit multiple times, he couldn't guarantee the enemy's weapons weren't laced with poison.
Thanks to Elder Chiyo, various antidotes were standard issue for all Konoha ninja.
He pulled out one last vial, tipped a Food Pill into his hand, and popped it into his mouth.
Chakra reserves were naturally Hagoromo's greatest weakness. Even though he had just wiped out nearly ten enemies in a single blitz, he had already burned through over half his chakra.
He desperately needed to replenish it.
The Sand ninja began walking toward Hagoromo again.
So far, not a single word had been exchanged between them. In fact, until one of them was dead, neither would speak.
This wasn't just to honor the universal truth of "villains die from monologuing." It was because there was simply no need to speak.
They held no personal grudges. On this battlefield, there was only life and death.
Hagoromo narrowed his eyes. He could clearly see the cruel, vicious gleam in the enemy's gaze.
Without hesitation, Hagoromo charged right back at him.
Surprisingly, the Sand ninja violently whipped his arm forward, hurling his long sword like a javelin.
This was a move Hagoromo hadn't anticipated. Throwing a kunai was standard practice for a ninja, but throwing a primary long weapon was incredibly rare.
Still, it was well within Hagoromo's reaction capabilities.
He immediately hit the brakes and threw his head and upper body to the right, easily dodging the attack.
However, that wasn't the main point. The problem was far from over.
The enemy ninja had originally been holding a long sword. Now that he had thrown it, the question was: what was left in his hands?
The answer: absolutely nothing.
And when a ninja's hands were completely empty, that was precisely when they were the most dangerous. Because that was when they wove signs.
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Jutsu! A sharp blade of compressed wind shot forward, aiming to slice Hagoromo in half.
Because he had just dodged the thrown sword, Hagoromo's body was currently twisted in an incredibly awkward posture. Could he dodge this ninjutsu in time?
Of course he could. If he couldn't, this fanfic would end right here.
He deliberately tripped his right leg over his left, miraculously tripping himself up.
Posture-wise, it wasn't pretty... Alright, there's no need to protect his image. He completely ate dirt.
But it successfully got him out of the attack's path.
Plunging face-first into the ground made it seem like he had lost all ability to resist. But that wasn't the case.
Just as the enemy rushed in to finish him off, Hagoromo lifted his head. The hard fall had knocked his mask loose, exposing his face.
But that didn't matter. The enemy wasn't going to spare him just because he was handsome.
The important part was that his mouth was exposed... There's nothing wrong with that phrasing. Did anyone's mind wander to the gutter? If so, go stand in the corner.
He had already prepared his counterattack the moment he fell.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu! A roaring dragon of flame hugged the ground, charging straight at the enemy.
Yes, Hagoromo could use Fire Release. It should have been mentioned earlier, but if it wasn't, the intel is public now.
He didn't actually expect this fire jutsu to kill his opponent. He just wanted to buy a little time... enough time for him to scrape himself off the floor.
The stalling tactic worked perfectly. Hagoromo even had time to pick up his mask.
Unsurprisingly, the jutsu failed to deal any actual damage. Seeing the sheer power of the incoming flames, the Sand ninja immediately abandoned his assault and switched to defense.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! The Sand ninja slammed both hands into the ground. The earth instantly liquefied into mud before violently erupting upward, forming a solid earthen wall.
In terms of chakra nature transformations, Wind beats Lightning, Lightning beats Earth, and Fire beats Wind. The two of them countered each other.
The issue, however, lay in the quality of their ninjutsu. Hagoromo's Lightning Release was absolute top-tier.
Hagoromo rapidly flicked two shuriken into the air, banking them in a wide arc to strike the enemy hiding behind the wall.
He himself charged forward once again. He realized he couldn't afford a battle of attrition.
He had to finish this quickly. Trying to conserve chakra would only result in wasting more of it.
With Chidori Stream fully activated, Hagoromo's speed instantly spiked to its absolute maximum!
The ear-piercing screech of high-voltage electricity practically echoed across the entire battlefield.
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