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Bloody crimson sprays erupted from Karime's abdomen. The intense pain twisted his very core, and without a moment's thought, he frantically reeled backward. A tearing agony in his stomach made him gasp, and when he looked down, his pupils constricted sharply. Five or six holes had been gouged into his abdomen at some unknown point. Blood gushed from these wounds, staining his clothes entirely red. The foul, metallic scent of blood assaulted his nostrils. The excruciating pain made him grimace, baring his teeth. He felt that if he had retreated even a second later, it wouldn't have been just five or six lacerations, but dozens of perforations.
He took a few sharp, deep breaths, gritted his teeth, and was about to form a hand seal when he suddenly heard several sounds tearing through the air. The sounds were like... shuriken rapidly flying!
"Damn it... no good!" Karime frantically dragged his injured body to dodge. Where he had stood moments before, three shuriken were now embedded in the ground. If he had dodged even 0.5 seconds later, at least one of these shuriken would have struck a vital spot.
Damn it... who is attacking me?! Are the Kusagakure ninjas pursuing us?! Impossible, those guys couldn't be this fast. And the Land of Water wouldn't allow foreign ninjas to freely enter its territory. It's highly unlikely to be Kusagakure ninjas.
Could it be Konoha's forces that have arrived? But how did they find me? I made sure to cover all my tracks.
Just as he was about to look up and see who his attacker was, a violent gust of wind suddenly slammed into him. Then, as he looked up, he saw a whip kick, aimed directly at his chest. The explosive force landing on his chest produced a crisp "crack!"
It was the sound of bone being forcibly splintered. Perhaps even broken... This person is incredibly fast! I can't react at all.
Karime immediately coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, smashing through two small trees. His entire body was racked with tearing pain, especially the excruciating agony in his chest, which made him wish he could instantly pass out. He convulsed and curled up on the ground like a roasted lobster, his body continuously trembling slightly. His mind was a blank. He simply couldn't imagine who... could bring down a Chunin to a state of utter helplessness in less than 30 seconds. Although it was a surprise attack, it still demonstrated the newcomer's strength. The opponent's power was certainly no weaker than his own, and perhaps even subtly stronger. Especially that terrifying force from the whip kick. If he hadn't been so cautious about his life and consistently worn defensive soft armor... that kick might have been enough to kill him.
"Cough, cough, cough... D-damn it, cough, cough... That kick almost took my life, and I couldn't even... cough, cough... I didn't even have time to use the Substitution Jutsu. This person's speed... it's like a monster's, cough, cough, cough..." Rogue ninja Karime struggled to speak even a single sentence without coughing. He was acutely aware of the extent of his current injuries.
"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. I still don't want to, cough, cough... don't want to die in this place." Karime quickly formed hand seals, but when he finished, his entire expression subtly changed.
"What... what's going on?! My chakra, the chakra in my body, I can't move it?! It's like... it's like it's been sealed!"
The moment his face contorted in shock, a clear, melodious voice rang out. "Gentle Fist: Sixteen Revolving Tenketsu Bursts!"
Pfft— Pfft— Pfft— Pfft...
A series of eerie sounds echoed within Karime's body. His expression twisted to an extreme, the tearing pain from within forcing his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't even utter a word. He could only manage weak, powerless "ho," "ho," "ho" sounds. Blood seeped from his nose, ears, and mouth. The chakra pathways within his body were rupturing inch by inch. Without the help of a medical ninja, relying on his own healing abilities to recover... it would be fundamentally impossible for five or six years. This was practically crippling a ninja. Karime's vision had become blurry, and the agonizing pain throughout his body made his consciousness somewhat muddled. Less than 40 seconds had passed since the ambush, perhaps not even 30 seconds... he couldn't be sure.
In the moment he completely closed his eyes, he only saw a blurry figure. Quietly standing before him. The figure didn't seem very tall. It didn't look very strong. He struggled to push his eyelids open... The Chunin rogue ninja from Kusagakure, "Karime," saw a pair of "white eyes." Veins seemed to bulge around the eyes... Those eyes... those eyes... that's, that's, that's the Byakugan of Konoha Village in the Land of Fire!!
The "mysterious person" who ambushed me is actually a Konoha ninja! And possesses the legendary Byakugan... Someone from the Hyuga clan of Konoha Village?! No wonder. We robbed a wealthy merchant in the Land of Fire and killed his entire family, slaughtering dozens of people. Konoha wouldn't sit idly by.
But I never expected the enemy to be so powerful. And it seems there's only one of her?! And she looks like a girl. A girl whose Taijutsu is terrifyingly strong. As expected of the renowned Konoha Village... there are an extraordinary number of monsters here.
After countless thoughts flashed through his mind, a gush of blood, mixed with thick brain matter, erupted from Karime's forehead. A sharp shuriken had pierced his skull, easily tearing through his cranium and scrambling his brain into a pulp.