The two Sunagakure ninjas at the forefront had their kunai and swords knocked away like straw. Their chests visibly caved in, blood spraying wildly from their mouths as their bodies were flung backward like they had been struck by a charging beast!
One on the flank tried to block with his arm, but the bones in his entire arm shattered into multiple segments, twisting into a grotesque angle.
The staff's momentum did not diminish, striking his ribs and sending him flying sideways until he smashed into and broke a small tree before stopping.
The other one was more fortunate, only grazed by the edge of the staff's wind, but the overwhelming force still lifted him off his feet, spinning him more than ten meters away. Blood seeped from his mouth as he struggled to get up.
The power of a single strike was like crashing waves, sweeping away everything in front!
Yoshida Gota's pupils shrank as he stared in shock at this scene. The twenty men surrounding Shinichi Higashino included three experienced Jonin, and the rest were elite Chunin seasoned in battle!
Yet in just a brief exchange, no more than a few seconds, more than half had already been lost!
Some dead, some wounded, including even one capable Jonin among the dead!
Didn't the intelligence say this guy had just been promoted to Special Jonin this month?
How is he this strong?
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Yoshida Gota shouted urgently. At his command, the remaining Sunagakure ninjas felt as if they had been pardoned, immediately abandoning the attack and scattering into the surrounding darkness like frightened birds and beasts.
Shinichi watched the Sunagakure ninjas retreat and did not recklessly pursue. The battlefield changed rapidly, and advancing alone was a grave taboo.
However, as he steadied himself, he casually thrust the Adamantine Nyoi toward the rear side.
The tip extended instantly over ten meters with a sharp sound, and it pierced through the back of a wounded Sunagakure Chunin who was retreating too slowly.
The staff then retracted, and with a reverse horizontal sweep, he struck another Sunagakure ninja who was fleeing from the side and attempting to throw a smoke bomb to obscure vision, sending him flying into a massive rock, his fate unknown.
In an instant, two more lives were taken, clean and efficient.
After finishing this, his gaze quickly swept across the entire camp. Fierce battles were still ongoing in various areas, but this focused assault targeting him had been repelled, clearly easing the immense pressure in this region.
His eyes locked onto a middle-aged Konoha ninja who had just driven back his opponent and was catching his breath while looking toward him.
This was a senior member of the team, a Special Jonin who had once mentioned in casual conversation that he had some knowledge of Barrier ninjutsu.
"Senior Maeda."
Shinichi stepped forward quickly, planting the Adamantine Nyoi on the ground. "I recall you mentioned earlier that you have some expertise in Barrier ninjutsu?"
The ninja called Maeda was momentarily stunned, then nodded, wiping the blood from his face. "Yes, Shinichi-kun. I know a bit. I've set up defensive and detection barriers before, but I wouldn't call myself proficient…"
"That's enough."
Shinichi interrupted him, glancing around. "Time is short. Can I ask you to set up a simple barrier around me immediately, something as strong as possible for soundproofing and suppressing chakra fluctuations? The range doesn't need to be large, just a few meters around me. But the effect of isolating sound and chakra should be as strong as possible. The faster, the better!"
"Understood!"
Maeda did not ask any unnecessary questions. His hands moved rapidly, forming a series of complex hand seals.
"Barrier Ninjutsu: Four-Directional Silent Formation!"
As his chakra flowed and the Ninjutsu was completed, a pale blue, semi-transparent spherical membrane rapidly appeared centered on Shinichi, enveloping him.
The membrane rippled gently like water. The sounds of shouting and explosions outside instantly faded to faint, muffled echoes, as if separated by a thick wall.
"The strength of this barrier isn't very high, but it should be enough to block ordinary sounds and conceal normal chakra fluctuations inside!"
Maeda maintained his hand seals, sweat forming on his forehead as he called out.
"That's sufficient. Thank you, senior."
Standing at the center of the barrier, Shinichi nodded to Maeda, then spoke in a low voice to the Adamantine Nyoi in his hand: "Senior Enma, no matter what happens next, please restrain your chakra fluctuations as much as possible."
"I understand!"
Seeing Enma agree, Shinichi took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Adamantine Nyoi.
The moment his fingers closed, and chakra flowed from his palm into the staff…
Buzz!
The Adamantine Nyoi trembled violently, emitting a low hum. A faint reddish-gold glow, like molten metal, suddenly lit up along the pitch-black staff!
Hm?!
'This kid, only a few months have passed, and not only has his strength and staff techniques improved so much… even his physique and chakra have increased this much?'
Enma was shaken. The chakra pouring into the staff far exceeded his previous estimates from when he guided Shinichi's Taijutsu months ago. Its density and the pure, domineering power it contained were astonishing.
What surprised him even more was that this chakra, at its core, gave it an indescribably familiar and intimate feeling.
But the battlefield situation changed too quickly to allow further thought.
As Shinichi steadily infused an enormous amount of chakra far beyond normal limits, the vibration of the Adamantine Nyoi grew faster and stronger!
The humming sound rose from a low vibration into a clear, high-pitched metallic resonance with a strange, penetrating quality, like heavy hammers striking the inner walls of a massive bell.
Small air vortices began forming around the staff, faintly accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With each ringing sound, the reddish-gold glow on the staff intensified, from a faint shimmer to flowing flames, growing brighter and hotter, as if magma were beginning to surge within the staff.
To paraphrase Shinichi's words from his previous life, he's currently accumulating energy.
Moments later, the humming and glow of the Adamantine Nyoi in his hand reached an astonishing peak!
The reddish-gold light burned so brightly it was impossible to look at directly, as if what he held was not a weapon, but a bolt of solidified red-gold lightning, a volcano on the verge of eruption!
The air around the staff twisted and crackled, and the sounds of wind and thunder became increasingly clear!
"Kid! Where did you get so much chakra?!"
Enma could no longer hold back and asked urgently. "Enough! Stop! If you keep pouring it in without restraint, your chakra will be drained first! Your body—"
"Senior Enma!"
Shinichi interrupted calmly. "Please trust my judgment. You don't need to worry about my chakra. I know my limits. Right now, just make sure to restrain your own chakra fluctuations!"
At this, Shinichi raised his head, locking onto a specific direction. A bold, unrestrained smile curved on his lips: "In a moment, we'll give the Village Hidden in the Sand a heavy blow together!"
Check my Patreon for more chapters and novels, Patreon.com/SweetestDeath