NABC Chapter 74 Hope vanished in an instant
Chapter 74 Hope vanished in an instant
These children were all his apprentices; they were talented and hardworking. He imparted all his knowledge to them, and watching them improve day by day, he felt a feeling he had never experienced before.
It's like... hope.
"Okay, that's good." He patted their heads and said with a smile, "Let's go eat, and continue practicing tomorrow."
The two responded and ran off with smiles on their faces.
Nan Shi watched their retreating figures, his smile gradually fading. He didn't know how long this could last.
The hostility of the daimyo, the covetousness of the nobles, the spying of other ninja villages... the Touken Danshi are like a small boat in a storm, which may capsize at any time.
But he did not regret it. He believed that with his own strength and with the help of these children, they would surely bring a new era to the land of Taki.
Night fell.
A bonfire was lit in the valley, and young people sat around it, singing, laughing, and eating dinner. Nan Shi sat alone on a high place, gazing at the stars in the night sky, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he stood up abruptly.
There was a faint but palpable killing intent in the air.
"Enemy attack—!"
Before he could finish speaking, dozens of dark figures rushed into the camp from all directions. Kunai and shuriken rained down like a storm, and screams instantly rang out.
"They're ninjas! They're Konoha ninjas!"
"Form ranks! Protect the children!"
Nanshi drew his long sword and moved with lightning speed towards the nearest dark figure. With a flash of light, the black-clad ninja fell to the ground.
But more shadowy figures surged forward, each one possessing considerable strength and working in perfect harmony, clearly well-trained elites.
root.
Nanshi instantly understood: it was the Root of Konoha; the Daimyo had ultimately hired ninjas from another country.
But why would Konoha intervene in this matter?
"Kill! Leave no one alive!"
A cold voice rang out from among the men in black, and the battle instantly intensified.
Nanshi's swordsmanship was ruthless, each strike taking a life. However, most of his subordinates were teenagers who possessed the swordsmanship he had taught them but lacked real combat experience. Facing the elite Root ninjas, they were like lambs to the slaughter.
"Master, save me!"
A scream sent a chill down Nan Shi's spine. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw his two disciples being attacked by two Root ninjas.
To be precise, it should be called a massacre, because they couldn't withstand a single blow.
The powerful ninjutsu struck them, rendering their clumsy substitution techniques and close-combat-only swordsmanship useless. They were instantly torn apart by the ninjutsu, reduced to mangled corpses lying in pools of blood.
"No!"
Nan Shi rushed forward like a madman, sweeping his long sword and forcing the two men back. He caught his apprentice, but the mangled corpse was no longer whole, and the body was growing cold.
"Don't die!" Nan Shi's voice trembled, and his eyes instantly turned blood red.
"Aaaaaahh ...
He suddenly sprang into action, his longsword transforming into countless afterimages, slaying all three Root ninjas who had pursued him.
However, the battle continued. The Root ninjas were like emotionless, painless killing machines, and the boys in the stronghold were quickly slaughtered, leaving only a dozen or so.
Screams, shouts of battle, and the clash of weapons mingled together in the dead of night. But nothing could be heard in Nanshi.
Nan Shi suddenly had a feeling that perhaps he was wrong.
It was wrong from the very beginning.
Until the old subordinates guarding the wormhole learned of the news and rushed over...
The battle in the valley lasted all night.
As dawn broke, the battlefield finally fell silent, littered with corpses.
On Dao Dao's side, of the more than two hundred teenagers, fewer than five survived. Nan Shi's men, including his personally trained core members, suffered more than half casualties.
On the Root side, of the twenty-four elite ninjas, only four of the most elite Jonin managed to break through, but they were all seriously injured.
Nan Shi stood amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his long sword planted firmly on the ground, his entire body covered in blood. His eyes were vacant, and his face was devoid of any expression.
He won.
They traded half of their lives for twenty of the other side's.
But he couldn't feel happy at all.
Many of his disciples had mastered swordsmanship and were soon ready to stand on their own, but when faced with these Root ninjas, they fell like leeks, one after another.
They are only teenagers, some are even under ten years old!
But there was no "afterward".
He slowly squatted down and reached out to close his female apprentice's eyes.
A faint voice rang out. Nan Shi turned his head and saw a young man covered in blood crawling towards him. He was one of his men and one of the earliest followers.
"Master, what should we do next?"
After a long silence, Nan Shi said, "Relocate the base."
He stood up and looked into the distance, towards Takigakure Village, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to take a step.
Because he couldn't disrupt the plan, and he was too ashamed to go back for help.
"Leader...aren't you going to find that person?" the subordinate asked with difficulty.
Nan Shi shook his head and remained silent.
They moved to a new location with the surviving members of their gang. Behind them, the morning light shone on the corpses scattered on the ground, making them appear deathly pale.
Soon they were devoured clean by the insects that swarmed out of the nest. Not only were their clothes and bones gone, but even their battle armor was completely destroyed, and all traces of the battle vanished without a trace.
-
Konoha Village, a commercial street.
Ryuji Ida stood in front of a general store, watching the crowds coming and going on the street, a broad smile on his face.
Yesterday, he finally passed the review of Konoha Village and, as a cross-border businessman, purchased the property rights of a shop in Konoha and established this international general merchandise boutique.
"Don't push, don't push, there's enough for everyone, there's enough for everyone!"
"As expected of the Land of Fire, as expected of Konoha Village, they are indeed rolling in wealth."
As he was counting his money, Kurosaki Ichiro squeezed through the crowd, his face grave.
"Mr. Long Er, something has happened."
Ryuji Ida's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately led him into the house: "What is it?"
"Root," Kurosaki Ichiro said in a low voice, "Danzo sent twenty-four elites to wipe out the Touken Shamans, but more than twenty of them died, and only four escaped with serious injuries. I heard that Root suffered heavy losses this time, and Danzo was furious."
Ryuji Ida gasped.
Twenty-four elites, twenty dead?
Is that guy from Nanshi really that fierce?
"And then?" he pressed.
Kurosaki Ichiro's expression turned even uglier.
"Danzo is preparing to delegate the mission, and the person chosen to go to Takigawa next time is likely to be—Hatake Sakumo."
Ryuji Ida's face turned pale instantly.
Konoha Shiroka - Hatake Sakumo.
He was a legendary ninja. It was said his sword was so fast even the Sharingan couldn't see it. It was said his missions had a 100% success rate. It was said he was a strong contender for the next Hokage. It was said that if you encountered him and declared a mission failed, you would escape punishment.
If he goes on a mission, Nanshi is doomed!