vstars Chapter 518 What about the others?
Chapter 518 What about the others?
Not long after, he encountered another Sand Ninja patrol.
"Captain, why did you come back alone? Where are the others?" one of the Chunin asked warily.
Zhang Hai didn't speak, but pointed to his throat and coughed a few times hoarsely, pretending that he had injured his throat and couldn't speak.
He carefully observed the squad before him; it consisted of ten people, exactly the same as the previous squad. …
His gaze finally settled on the back of the group, on a seemingly insignificant genin.
The genin kept his head down, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and didn't say a word or make any unnecessary movements from beginning to end.
But Zhang Hai sensed from him an aura that was out of place and deathly still, unlike the others.
It's him. Zhang Hai knew it in his heart.
He nodded to the Chunin who was leading the group, then brushed past him, pretending to continue his patrol.
Just as the two crossed paths, he moved.
He remained silent for a moment, seemingly gathering his strength; this action lasted for about half a second.
The White Fang Blade in his hand, like the fangs of a venomous snake, pierced through his ribs at an unbelievable angle, instantly penetrating the heart of the puppeteer who had been keeping his head down and was disguised as a low-ranking ninja.
"A puppeteer should stay behind the scenes. Only by hiding in the shadows can one better control the puppets. So, your presence in the open is an insult to the profession, because puppets don't need sunlight." Having said this, he drew his dagger amidst the horrified gazes of the others.
The battle broke out abruptly and was bloody.
Sunagakure Yasuyuki, the most hidden puppeteer in the squad, was pierced through the heart by a silver flash before he could even release his puppet from his sleeve.
With an expression of disbelief on his face, he slowly collapsed.
The remaining Sand Ninja were stunned by this sudden scene. They stared at their "comrade" dressed in the captain's uniform and holding a blood-dripping dagger, their eyes filled with horror and doubt.
"You...you're not the captain! Only Seyasuyuki can use his chakra threads!" a Chunin questioned in a trembling voice.
Zhang Hai could feel a slight sensation on his fingertips, as if he were touching cold, damp clay.
Zhang Hai ignored their questions; the only response he received was an unfathomable darkness.
He unleashed all his understanding and practice of the Dark Arts over the past six months at this moment.
The boundless darkness, like a rising tide, instantly engulfed the entire battlefield, shutting out all light, sound, and even smell.
The Sand Ninja instantly lost sight of each other and fell into a deathly silence of panic. They could only hear their own increasingly rapid heartbeats and the suppressed gasps of their comrades.
"Don't panic! This is an illusion!" The squad leader, the remaining Jonin, shouted loudly, trying to calm the troops. "Everyone, form a defensive formation! Don't move!" As he spoke, he quickly formed hand seals, preparing to release a wide-range sensory ninjutsu to break the eerie darkness.
He could almost smell a very faint, pungent odor in the air, similar to the smell of burning sulfur.
Just as he was about to complete the hand seal, a chilling killing intent silently approached from behind him.
Zhang Hai appeared silently behind him like a ghost in the darkness.
The Jonin reacted extremely quickly; he immediately abandoned the hand seals, and his chakra erupted instantly!
"Earth Release: Rock Armor!" A thick layer of rock armor quickly covered his entire body.
He grinned maliciously, preparing to turn around and unleash a wide-range, indiscriminate ninjutsu to force this cowardly fellow to reveal himself.
However, the metallic clanging sound he had anticipated did not occur.
The White Fang Blade in Zhang Hai's hand had somehow become covered with a layer of crackling blue lightning. The indestructible lightning chakra easily pierced through the hard rock armor, cutting through his heart as precisely as cutting tofu.
In less than five minutes, the second group of ten Sand Ninjas was completely wiped out by Zhang Hai.
Each of his attacks was precise and deadly, wasting almost no chakra, and causing little damage to the surrounding environment. Only a pile of cold corpses proved that a brutal massacre had just taken place here.
.
Zhang Hai leaped onto the canopy of a tall tree, threw a soldier's ration pill into his mouth, and began to quickly recover his depleted strength.
He discovered that while the Dark Travel Technique was powerful, it also consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
He understood that this technique was key to the success of his operation, but the remaining enemies also meant an even greater challenge.
He didn't rest for long before setting off again. Using the same tactics, he easily took out the third patrol team of only eight people.
The enemy's numbers were decreasing, which relieved him slightly, but he also knew that the final challenge would be the most difficult.
Zhang Hai stood on a high ground, gazing at the last smoldering campfire in the distance.
According to intelligence, the last ten Sand Ninja are gathered there, including two powerful Jonin.
He knew that while the Dark Travel Technique could create chaos, it was almost impossible to kill both Jonin simultaneously while they were under their senses.
He remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering something; this action lasted for about half a second.
"I must find a way to separate them," he muttered to himself.
As Zhang Hai silently approached the last stronghold, he realized he was still a step too late.
Beside the campfire, the last ten Sand Ninja were ready to go. The two Jonin in the lead were staring intently at the direction where he was hiding with cold, emotionless eyes.
Their auras were like two dormant volcanoes, seemingly calm, yet containing a power capable of destroying the world.
Zhang Hai could feel a slight, tingling sensation on the back of his neck, as if he were being pricked by a cold needle.
“Come out, you rats of Konoha.” One of the Jonin, with a scar on his face, spoke coldly. “Our four teams communicate using a secret technique every two hours. Five minutes have passed, and there has been no response.” He paused, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “It seems that Konoha acted first.” Another, younger Jonin continued, “We’ve coated every tree in this area with a special powder mixed with scorpion venom. We can immediately sense any outsider who comes into contact with it. So, from the moment you stepped into this forest, your whereabouts have been known to us.”