The night flew by. Putting his scattered thoughts aside, the Man with a Thick Mustache returned to dutifully serving Kaiho Tora.
The carriage rolled forward. With no enemies encountered on the road these past few days, everyone traveled with ease.
"Chirp chirp!" As they passed through a forest, birds sang cheerfully, making one appreciate the beauty of their surroundings.
"Saitama, we'll reach the Capital City in another day," said Kaiho Tora energetically, sticking his head out of the carriage window toward Saitama, who sat atop the vehicle.
"Yeah!"
Saitama gripped his katana tightly, eyes locked straight ahead, unyielding and alert.
The closer he got to their destination, the less he could afford to relax; he didn't want any mishaps at this final stage.
"Shua!" Saitama shot to his feet. Sure enough, his worst fear materialized—his senses picked up multiple chakra fluctuations.
"Kaiho Tora, didn't expect me to show up in person, did you?" A group blocked the upcoming intersection, where a middle-aged man in lavish attire stood atop a carriage, speaking coldly.
"Stop." Kaiho Tora ordered the Man with a Thick Mustache to halt the carriage before stepping out onto the ground in front of it.
"Sanjoshi!" Kaiho Tora's tone carried slight surprise.
"Didn't expect me to come personally, did you?" Sanjoshi replied smugly.
"I honestly didn't think you had the guts to confront me directly. Do you really believe those weaklings beside you can stop me?" Kaiho Tora remained calm, showing no signs of panic despite being surrounded.
"Is that so? Seeing you arrive intact means Shimada has already failed. Did you really think I wouldn't come prepared?" Sanjoshi stared at Kaiho Tora like he was an idiot.
"And you must be the Konoha ninja Kaiho hired? Who'd have thought someone so young could actually beat a Jonin. But your luck ends here today," Sanjoshi added, slightly raising his chin to address Saitama standing on the carriage roof.
"Clap clap clap!" Sanjoshi clapped his hands, and from behind the carriage emerged three ninja.
"That guy Kusu really was useless, failing to kill such a little kid," one of the ninjas sneered, giving Saitama a cruel smile as if he were already their plaything.
"Kid, you should regret ever being born!" Another ninja growled, his pockmarked face twisted with malice, a massive hammer slung across his back.
"He looks quite handsome; don't waste him after killing him," the last ninja grinned wickedly, his scar-covered face crawling with grotesque expressions, sending chills down anyone's spine.
Saitama narrowed his brows, saying nothing and simply watching them coldly.
There was no doubt these three ninja were all Jonin—one could tell they were a well-coordinated, battle-tested unit. Saitama couldn't imagine being able to protect Kaiho Tora fully while fighting them off.
"There are also many samurai around, over a hundred altogether!" Kaiho Tora whispered after observing the enemy numbers.
"What do we do, sir?!" The Man with a Thick Mustache trembled, shrinking his neck as he stood uneasily in front of the carriage.
No one responded. Kaiho Tora's expression turned blank—he clearly had no idea either.
"I'll hold off the three Jonin. You find a way to break through.
Saitama leapt from the carriage, hand resting on his blade, muttering grimly under his breath—this was about all he could do now.
Nope, this mission just got real. Saitama shook his head, shifting his stance—he was ready for whatever those punks had coming.
"Hey kid, you've got guts!" the lead enemy sneered. "Thought you'd be running home with your tail between your legs!" He started walking toward Saitama, the other two trailing behind. They all knew Saitama was jonin-class, so no one was volunteering to go solo with him. Taunting him a bit, though? That they could handle.
[Chidori Current] sizzled to life! The Sharingan revealed itself in Saitama's eye as his body tensed up, fully prepared for battle.
"Boom!" From twenty meters away, the enemy suddenly accelerated, charging straight at Saitama.
"Crack!" Saitama slammed his foot down and launched forward at incredible speed, eyes locked onto the three opponents. He knew charging headfirst into a fight against three jonin with no intel was reckless—but he didn't have a choice. He had to go for it.
His speed caught the enemies completely off guard. Skillfully slipping past the first attacker, Saitama slashed backward at the pockmarked man—the only one among them armed—and decided to take out the heavy-weapon user first.
"Clang!" The hammer blocked Saitama's blade, stopping its path, but the impact still sent the enemy staggering back.
Pulling his sword back, Saitama tried to retreat. After all, staying too long in enemy territory wasn't smart.
"Huh?" But he couldn't free his sword right away. Even after applying more force, the blade remained stuck against the hammer.
A puzzled look crossed his face as he looked up. Behind the hammer, the pockmarked man grinned, his expression full of menace and malice.
"Crack!" Taking advantage of the moment, the weaselly guy beside them threw a punch straight at Saitama.
Meanwhile, the ninja Saitama had bypassed recovered his senses, pulling out a kunai and aiming for Saitama's back.
In an instant, danger came from all sides! In a flash, offense turned to defense—every hair on Saitama's skin stood on end.
"Thud!" With no other option, Saitama released his sword and leaped into the air, landing sideways out of reach.
The enemies missed their targets but didn't press further.
"Heh, kid, how you feeling now?" Just as Saitama landed, he heard the pockmarked man's voice.
The man easily pulled Saitama's sword off the hammer and swung it through the air like a trophy.
"Now you've lost your weapon—how're you gonna fight?" the weaselly guy mocked.
"Cut the chatter," the leader snapped. "Just finish him already!" Fixing his gaze on Saitama—who still showed no sign of panic—he signaled his companions.
Whoosh! Glancing toward the ongoing battle, Saitama spotted Kaiho Tora fighting fiercely elsewhere. Standing alone against a group of ten or more ninjas, Kaiho Tora hacked and slashed through wave after wave of attackers. Meanwhile, Sanjoshi stood calmly atop the carriage, looking utterly confident—as if he had expected Kaiho Tora's performance from the beginning.
A surge of electricity pulsed through his body—he had to wrap this up fast, or Kaiho Tora wouldn't last much longer.
"Die!" The lead enemy rushed forward first, holding a kunai. The scar-faced man and the weaselly guy followed half a meter behind him.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Saitama quickly formed hand seals. Chakra brewed in his throat, then transformed into a massive fireball that erupted outward.
"Scatter!"
The enemies split apart, evading Saitama's ninjutsu.
"Chidori!" Targeting the nearest enemy leader, Saitama dashed forward, his hand radiating brilliant light.
"Huh?" The enemy who had just dodged the fireball looked confused, seeing Saitama charging toward him.
"Water Release: Great Water Sphere!" He retaliated with a water sphere fired from his mouth, though it was much smaller compared to Saitama's earlier fireball.
"Shsh!"
Saitama slashed his right hand through the water sphere, cleaving it cleanly in two.
Without slowing down, Saitama continued attacking.
"Die!"
His right hand coiled back before shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
"Zzzz!" His palm struck against a huge hammer, fracturing its surface with countless cracks. Saitama's body halted momentarily, his eyes narrowing halfway, then he leaped backward to evade a whip kick from the Weaselly Guy.
"Heh, not bad!" The lead enemy said in a calm voice.
Just now, he thought he was going to die. If not for his comrade's hammer blocking the powerful ninjutsu attack, his evil life might already have ended. Even so, the force of Saitama's technique drove the hammer into his chest, causing a stifling sensation and electric shocks that numbed his torso. Fortunately, it wasn't anything fatal.
"I need to separate them somehow!" Saitama knew deep down that fighting three opponents at once wasn't wise.
"Boss!" cried the man with a thick mustache in alarm.
Glancing sideways, Saitama saw Kaiho Tora wounded from behind during the fight.
"This really sucks!" A hint of irritation stirred in Saitama.
"Crash!" The hammer smashed where Saitama had stood moments ago, but missed as he sidestepped at the last moment. The enemy attacked the instant Saitama's attention wavered.
"Boom!" His right foot crackled with electricity, colliding with the Weaselly Guy. Electric currents surged through his opponent, making his face twitch and his body shudder slightly.
[Chidori Current isn't something easy to deal with.] Saitama was pretty pleased with his own ninjutsu.
Before Saitama could continue pursuing, another enemy's attack arrived right in front of him.
The coordination among these ninja was seamless, attack following attack without pause. Though Saitama avoided injury, he had few chances to counterattack.
"Hehe!" The Weaselly Guy grinned eerily, resuming his assault alongside the other two after recovering from the earlier Chidori Current.
"There's no choice now!" Saitama spotted Sanjoshi standing calmly at the vehicle's front, watching the battlefield.
"Smack!"
He sent a punch crashing into the scar-faced man rushing toward him, the electricity surging across his face, leaving a clear mark.
"Boom!" Another enemy approached from behind, launching an attack. Frustrated, Saitama hurriedly dodged another potential strike.
"Hey!" The enemy advanced again, and the lead ninja's foot kicked into Saitama's back in an instant.
"Crash!" He took the blow head-on, then unleashed a surge of electricity from the point of impact.
"Shsh!"
The enemy leaped aside swiftly.
"Heya!" Weaselly Guy lunged forward, but Saitama's eyes gleamed.
From their earlier fight, Saitama had already realized that this Weaselly Guy was the weakest of the trio, so he had been waiting for an opportunity.
Now, the Weaselly Guy charged in front of him excitedly, still believing their tactics could steadily keep Saitama in check.
"WHOOSH!" With a gloved fist infused with blue chakra, the Weaselly Guy hurled a punch at Saitama.
"Zzzzt!" Lightning crackled, and [Sharingan] whirred furiously. Saitama aimed to take down this enemy with one strike to take the initiative.
"Die!" Saitama thrust out his right hand, lightning surging through it.
But the enemy seemed prepared. At the moment Saitama counterattacked, he dodged sideways, knowing his comrades would immediately attack next, forcing Saitama to pull back.
"SWOOSH!" At the moment his right hand missed, Saitama seized the enemy and unleashed a surge of electric current from his palm.
"Ahh!"
The wretched ninja let out a miserable scream. Unprepared, he had fallen straight into Saitama's trap.
His aura instantly dropped, and a trace of fear appeared on his face.
"Crackle!" Seeing Saitama pin their comrade, the other two enemies slowed their movements. As they were about to speak, Saitama's other hand, crackling with lightning, plunged directly into the enemy's throat. Blood splattered instantly, and the look of disbelief froze on the enemy's face.
"You?!" The pockmarked ninja couldn't believe it, then swung his hammer furiously in rage.
Moving extremely fast, the hammer headed straight for Saitama's head. He already knew his comrade stood no chance of survival and no longer held back.
"WHAM!" Saitama shoved the dying enemy aside, and the hammer met his body in a brutal collision, scattering flesh everywhere!
"Towen!" The enemy leader shouted, but without tending to the corpse, he just stared at Saitama.
"You must die, Konoha ninja!" The pockmarked man gripped his hammer, his expression dark and icy.
"Down one. You really think you can still overwhelm me?" Saitama stepped back a few steps, mocking them.
The two enemies exchanged glances, seeming to reach a decision. Then they both pulled out pills and tossed them into their mouths.
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