ACSP: Chapter 214: This White-Haired Non-Mainstream Guy Can Go Fifty-Fifty with Anyone!
"A few Tokubetsu Jonin dare to chirp here? They really don't know how to spell the word death!"
Ronan smoothly sheared the [Sword of the Thunder God] back into his dimensional inventory, curling his lip in open disdain. With a faint blur, he displaced through the air, flashing right back onto the crest of Li Dala's clay mount.
"So... so incredibly powerful..."
"Is this the actual, raw performance of a level 95 Kage-level Contractor?"
Nangong Fei and Nangong Hong stared dumbfounded at the smoking craters below them, their minds completely failing to process the speed of the engagement. It wasn't as if they had never witnessed level 90+ Kage-level heavyweights exercising their authority before. But while those mainstream powerhouses were undeniably formidable, compared to the absolute, casual execution Ronan had just displayed, they were simply far inferior.
"Big Brother Jiang Chen, aren't those two Guardians flanking you a bit too monstrous? Those were several level 95 Tokubetsu Jonin NPCs..." Nangong Hong stammered, looking up at Jiang Chen with wide, star-struck eyes.
Even though she was chronologically two years older than Jiang Chen, in this cutthroat new world where raw lethality reigned supreme, age was a meaningless metric. It was common practice for women to address anyone possessing superior strength as "Brother." The Nangong twins were naturally no exception to the rule.
As the old proverb goes, a sweet tongue breaks no bones. When you're born into a minor, low-tier family with zero institutional backing, mastering a bit of strategic deference wasn't just courtesy—it was a core mechanism for survival.
As for her use of the term "Guardian," within the high-stakes ecosystem of the Magic City, that title specifically referred to elite, high-level clan veterans assigned to shadow and protect a family's prodigies. Before a young talent with immense potential could fully mature into their toolkit, the family elders would usually deploy these high-tier loyalists to ensure they weren't assassinated or wiped out in high-risk instances.
When the Nangong sisters had first been recruited into the party interface, they had immediately scanned the disparity in levels. Seeing Li Dala and Ronan sitting on staggering tier advantages while completely deferring to Jiang Chen's command, their minds had automatically filled in the blanks. These two had to be Jiang Chen's dedicated personal Guardians. Otherwise, why would two independent engines of destruction march under his banner and obey his every whim without a single complaint?
"Heh... you've got it wrong. Those two aren't my Guardians," Jiang Chen responded indifferently, his eyes remaining fixed on the horizon.
He had run into the term "Guardian" plenty of times while analyzing strategic forums on the internet. In reality, most of those clan-assigned veterans operated exactly like high-level mercs who used to handle paid power-leveling services in old-era MMORPGs. Because their own level progression had hit a hard ceiling or they lacked the massive financial resources to buy late-game breakthrough materials, they chose to sell their combat output to protect the next generation of wealthy heirs.
But Ronan and Li Dala didn't fit that mold at all. They weren't here to buffer his health bar or carry him through a difficult phase; they were his blade and his vanguard.
In reality, his motivation for bringing Li Dala along on this campaign was beautifully petty: he wanted to completely dismantle the operations of the East Island factions and regularly drop a localized "Dongfeng Express" right onto their heads.
As for Ronan, his inclusion was purely tactical. Ronan possessed the legendary [Flying Thunder God Technique], which formed a flawless, long-range strategic network when synchronized with Jiang Chen's own [Heavenly Transfer Technique]. Otherwise, even if Jiang Chen had chosen to infiltrate the Magic City entirely solo, his current build allowed him to move through any high-tier territory completely unimpeded.
Of course, having Ronan and Li Dala flanking him meant he was more than happy to play the role of the relaxed commander. It kept his own hands clean of trivial skirmishes. For instance, if the two powerhouses hadn't been here to clear the perimeter just now, he would have been forced to personally waste a few seconds vaporizing those Konoha frontier guards.
"No way?! If they aren't your personal Guardians, then why are they following your lead so blindly?"
"Yeah, exactly! One look at those two and you can tell they're legendary Contractors who usually rule their own zones. Especially that Ronan guy—if my perception stats aren't totally failing me, he has to be an absolute Kage-level heavyweight, right?!"
Jiang Chen's nonchalant denial sent the Nangong sisters' curiosity through the roof. It was as if they had suddenly stumbled onto an entirely undiscovered continent; they bombarded him with an endless barrage of questions, leaving Jiang Chen thoroughly speechless. If it weren't for the fact that they were both genuinely star-struck fans, he would have seriously considered tossing them both off the eagle's back just for some peace and quiet.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Right on cue, the sharp, whistling arc of two Kunai sliced upward from the dark canopy of the forest below, cutting directly into their flight path.
"Perfect timing! This has to be the trigger for that white-haired copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi!"
"Big Brother Jiang Chen, don't waste your energy taking action yet! This mid-tier boss is notorious for dragging everyone into a prolonged draw. Let the two of us handle him for you!"
Having previously survived the early stages of this instance, the Nangong twins instantly recognized the projectile trajectory and identified the incoming threat. Eager to showcase their utility and flex their capabilities in front of their absolute idol, they decisively leaped into a defensive formation.
"—Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Nangong Hong's fingers blurred into a rapid sequence of hand seals. Planting her boots firmly onto the giant eagle's feathers, she unleashed a concentrated, serpentine column of roaring flame. The sheer kinetic impact of the fire blast instantly slammed into the two incoming Kunai, melting the metal and blasting them off course.
Simultaneously, Nangong Fei finalized her own hand seals. She clenched her right fist, thrusting her arm forward with absolute force.
"—Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
With a sickening hiss, several massive pythons—each as thick as an adult's arm—burst simultaneously from her sleeve. The summoned serpents shot downward at a violent, staggering velocity, diving straight into the dense foliage where the ambush had originated.
The raw execution speed and fluidity of that skill... Could her Contractor template be Anko Mitarashi?
Watching Nangong Fei command the [Hidden Shadow Snake Hands] with such effortless, high-tier mastery, a specific profile immediately crossed Jiang Chen's mind. She had mentioned earlier that she was a level 69 Special Contractor. Within the established parameters of the [Naruto Dimension], the only notable Tokubetsu Jonin character intrinsically tied to the snake-summoning sub-variants was indeed Anko Mitarashi.
Of course, it was entirely possible for standard Contractors or generic class-changers to occasionally pull specific skill scrolls from high-tier dungeon rewards and legacy treasure chests. However, a piece of looted text could never replicate the muscle memory, intrinsic synergy, and absolute proficiency of a native template.
Skills unlocked natively by Contractors from their contracted characters can have their proficiency maxed out immediately, whereas self-learned skills require slow, painstaking mastery over time. The difference in execution fluidness is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye.
"—Lightning Release: Lightning Blade!"
Just as Jiang Chen was analyzing her build, a dazzling, blinding arc of electrical energy suddenly erupted from the dense canopy below. Immediately after, a white-haired boy wearing a dark cloth mask, holding a violently crackling sphere of lightning in his right hand, leaped high into the air, bursting directly into their line of sight.
With the lightning ball roaring in his grip, he easily tore through the vanguard of pythons Nangong Fei had shot out, reducing them to scorched vapor. He then fiercely kicked off the tip of a swaying tree branch, his body instantly turning into a blur as he flashed straight toward the giant eagle's back.
"Heh, I've been waiting for you to commit to that jump..." Nangong Fei curled her lips into a confident smile. It was as if she had long since memorized the white-haired boy's rigid AI attack patterns!
The exact millisecond he closed the distance, her fingers snapped into an entirely different, rapid hand seal sequence.
"—Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Multiple Snake Hands!"
This time, Nangong Fei thrust out both hands simultaneously, unleashing an overwhelming, writhing torrent of massive pythons that blanketed the sky. The white-haired boy said absolutely nothing, his hollow eyes completely focused as he mindlessly sliced through the scaly wall with his [Lightning Blade].
However, the sheer volume of serpents Nangong Fei had deployed this time was simply too massive to brute-force. Despite his lethal cutting power, the young ninja's momentum stalled mid-air, and his limbs were quickly wrapped and entangled by several suffocating pythons.
"Watch out!"
But just as Nangong Fei's smile widened, completely prepared to turn around and proudly show off her tactical success to her idol, Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. Without a single fraction of hesitation, he drew his Kusanagi Sword in a lethal flash of steel. With one ruthless, sweeping slash, he severed the bodies of the pythons directly where they connected to her outstretched arms—breaking her secret technique on the spot!
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