With previous experience, facing battle again felt easier.
Saitama drew a short sword from behind. Kunai no longer offered an advantage in close combat—especially when the enemies wielded oversized weapons.
As he eyed the group nearby, Saitama tightened his grip on the sword.
"Hey, kid—who are you!?" one of them shouted, noticing the corpses on the ground. The group didn't act rashly, and their leader stepped forward.
Saitama smiled coldly.
When he and Shisui left the village this time, they had agreed not to wear their Konoha forehead protectors, staying anonymous.
"You can think of me as your judge," Saitama said calmly.
"What? Don't get cocky, brat!" the leader barked. Seeing that they wouldn't get any answers, his tone turned vicious.
"He's just one guy. We're three! Kill him—for the fallen brothers!"
With that, he charged, raising his weapon high. The others followed, shouting profanities and swinging with brute strength, not skill.
Saitama launched forward like an arrow.
"Hup!" "Slash!"
He slipped between them, his short sword slicing clean arcs that left deep wounds. Then, in a blink, he was behind them.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Three fell. Without hesitation, Saitama continued toward the direction of the earlier sounds. Shisui was over there—he needed to regroup.
Vigilant, he moved quickly. He knew hidden enemies could still be nearby.
Along the way, he came across several wounded foes. Knife cuts had left them immobilized, moaning in pain. Out of cold efficiency—or mercy—Saitama dispatched them with swift strikes.
Including these, he'd taken down seven. Only one remained unaccounted for.
Clang!
Shisui was locked in combat with a ninja roughly 1.5 meters tall, clad in a tight black outfit—typical for covert ops.
Saitama didn't rush in. Instead, he concealed himself and observed. Shisui was dominating, driving the ninja back with superior speed and precision.
The enemy tried to use the shadows to reposition, but Shisui stayed a step ahead.
"Hup!"
Shisui's attack slashed open a gash across the ninja's chest, blood soaking through the fabric.
Panicked, the enemy stumbled back—unknowingly stepping closer to Saitama, who was hidden behind a tree.
"Mikami! If you don't come out now, I'm dead! Help me take this guy down!" the ninja shouted.
"Idiot," a voice replied. A figure materialized to Shisui's right—Mikami.
Shisui wasn't surprised. It was clear he'd sensed Mikami's presence earlier.
"Let's finish this one off first. Then we'll take care of his partner," Mikami said coldly, unaware of the danger behind him.
"Fine! Hurry!" the wounded ninja snapped, gripping his weapon again.
"Tch."
"Pretty bold of you to plan my execution out loud," Saitama whispered behind him, twirling his short sword.
"Ggh...!"
The black-clad ninja gasped as his strength drained away. Saitama had stabbed him cleanly.
"What?!" Mikami's eyes widened in shock.
In a flash, Saitama finished off the injured ninja. Both enemies had been focused on Shisui, giving him the opening.
Mikami instinctively glanced toward his fallen ally, then snapped back to Shisui—only to realize Shisui had moved. Now, he was flanked by the two boys.
"Tch... You have backup after all," Mikami muttered. He cursed himself for not striking first alongside his partner.
Now the tide had turned.
Still, he wasn't without confidence. The two before him were just kids—or so it seemed.
With a swish, Mikami drew a strange, oversized blade resembling a decapitating knife.
"Don't underestimate me, punks!" he growled.
Before he could finish, Saitama and Shisui were already moving.
Clang! Clang!
The two short swords met Mikami's massive blade, sparks flying as metal clashed.
Mikami had strength, no doubt. Though overwhelmed, he parried each blow with surprising tenacity, avoiding any direct hits.
Suddenly—
Boom!
Seizing an opening during Shisui's swing, Mikami counterattacked with a sharp kick, sending Shisui crashing into a nearby tree.
"Hah..."
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