Ryuzetsu was very upset. She had never imagined that the mission would be this dangerous. Then she remembered Naruto's suggestion to not come to the Uchiha Clan, and realized that if they had listened to him, Waraji might not have died.
And when she saw that Naruto was in so much grief that he was on the verge of beating his own chest, she felt even worse. Finally, she sighed.
"Junior Brother Naruto," she said, looking at him bitterly, "let's hurry up. If the Uchiha Clan has turned traitor, they won't want the sect getting wind of it. I just tried to send word back, but there's interference in the area... Transmission jade slips won't work."
Naruto shivered, feeling more in danger than ever before.
Meanwhile, beneath the Uchiha Clan mansion was a sprawling, underground necropolis. In one part of the necropolis was a lake of simmering blood, filled with countless floating skeletons.
The glitter of a spell formation could be seen surrounding the entire thing, and countless members of the Uchiha Clan were prostrating themselves around the lake. There were men and women, youngsters and old-timers, all of whom knelt at key nexuses within the spell formation.
It was with utter solemnity that one by one, they would slice open their right hands and squeeze blood down onto the nexuses, which carried the blood into the central lake.
In the very middle of that lake of blood, an old man sat cross-legged. His hair was long and white, and he seemed threatening without being angry. With every breath he took, the lake of blood bubbled.
Suddenly, the man's eyes opened, and they gleamed with a blood-colored glow.
"What's going on!?" he demanded, his cold voice echoing throughout the necropolis.
One of the clan members closest to him was a young man, who looked exactly like the young man from up in the courtyard who had tried to kill Naruto and the others. He leaned over and whispered, "Patriarch, three disciples from the Spirit Stream Sect showed up. It happened so quickly that I was caught unprepared. I was worried that it would influence the larger task at hand, so my puppet body on the outside, along with the spell formation and the other puppets, tried to kill them. Unfortunately... I'm so useless, Senior. I only managed to kill one. The other two escaped, and... they took the other disciple we caught last time with them."
The young man was feeling quite discouraged. Normally speaking, if a disciple of the Spirit Stream Sect went missing, it would take at least half a year before the sect officially declared them as missing. Only then would other disciples be sent to investigate. Considering that, by the time such disciples arrived in the Fallenstar Mountains, at least nine months should have passed.
However, only four months had gone by, and yet disciples from the Spirit Stream Sect had already arrived. It wasn't just this young man who was taken aback. No one in the entire Uchiha Clan could have guessed that the disappearance of a mere Outer Sect disciple was anything to worry about. Logically speaking, no one should have been sent to investigate so quickly.
Furthermore, if Amano hadn't managed to uncover the secrets of the Uchiha Clan, they would never have taken him captive. According to their original plan, they needed half a year to be completely prepared, then rise up and free themselves from the control of the Spirit Stream Sect!
However, that meant they still need a month of time...
"Two Outer Sect disciples…? Hmph! The defensive spell formation has already been activated. Seal the area and send people to track them down and kill them. We only need one more month... and then nothing will be able to stop us!" The old man didn't seem to be worried at all about what had happened, and closed his eyes to continue meditating.
The young man sighed, bowing his head in compliance.
It didn't take long before seven figures emerged from within the Uchiha Clan. The one in the lead position was the same young man, whose cultivation base was in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation.
Of the other six, the weakest were in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, with two being in the seventh.
"They won't be able to get far. Let's go!" The seven cultivators shot into the jungle, eyes shining with killing intent.
Out in the jungle, Naruto and Ryuzetsu were moving along as fast as possible while simultaneously propping up Amano. They tried to use their windskiff, but apparently the same interference from the spell formation that made transmission jade slips inoperable had the same effect on the ship.
The expressions on the faces of Naruto and Ryuzetsu grew even darker.
Naruto's face was pale, and the sensation of imminent crisis within him couldn't be greater. Every inch of flesh and blood within him was screaming out at him to flee as fast as he could!
If he went any slower, he would surely die!
The sensation of danger was far greater than what he had felt from Waraji. After all, even though Waraji had tried to kill him, he had been nervous about it and tried to do it secretly.
Naruto had known all along that as long as he was careful, he would most likely be able to avoid whatever move Waraji made against him, and could probably even strike back at him.
But now... the instant he thought about the information in their possession, he trembled, and sweat began to pour down his face. Considering that they knew about the Uchiha Clan's betrayal, it was obvious that they wouldn't hesitate to kill all of them.
They would no doubt go to any and all lengths to ensure their silence.
Furthermore, they wouldn't strike out in secret, they would attack like a lightning bolt!
Nor would they allow much time for them to get very far away. In fact, there were almost certainly members of the Uchiha Clan chasing after them already.
"Damn you, Hall of Justice. This mission... is not the type that Outer Sect disciples can handle!" Then Naruto remembered that the Uchiha Clan had a Foundation Establishment patriarch, and he began to shake even harder.
"Foundation Establishment... The difference between Chakra Condensation and Foundation Establishment is like the difference between being mortal and being in Chakra Condensation..." Naruto was so nervous that his eyes were bloodshot.
"I practice cultivation... to live forever..." Naruto wanted to cry, but no tears would come. He looked over at Amano, and knew that he would never be able to abandon him just to gain some speed. That was something he could never bring himself to do.
Ryuzetsu's face was pale; her cultivation base was the weakest of them all, and her internal spiritual energy was recovering very slowly. The more time passed, the worse she felt about the situation.
She knew that they were facing almost certain death. Perhaps someone in the seventh level of Chakra Condensation might be able to fight back against a Foundation Establishment Patriarch. But now, Waraji was dead, and she was only in the fifth level of Chakra Condensation, with no hope of being able to break through to the next level any time soon. As for Naruto... considering how scared he was of dying, Ryuzetsu would never place any hope in him.
"I never imagined I would die on my first mission outside of the sect," she thought, laughing bitterly. However, things weren't over yet, and it wasn't the time to give up, so she gritted her teeth and produced a medicinal pill from within her bag of holding and popped it into her mouth. Then she looked over at Naruto, who was pale-faced and shivering, and she sighed. At the moment, she no longer felt any scorn for him. Producing a medicinal pill bottle, she tossed it over to him.
"Junior Brother Naruto, make sure to keep your internal spiritual energy up."
Naruto stared in shock at the medicinal pill bottle, then opened it and consumed one of the pills. It was at this point that he suddenly remembered something, and produced two medicinal pill bottles from Waraji's bag of holding.
"Elder Brother Waraji had some medicinal pills," he said, handing one of the bottles to Ryuzetsu.
She accepted it silently, and the two of them proceeded along as fast as possible. Before long, they were back in the location where they had discovered Amano's jade slip. When Ryuzetsu saw that tree, she sighed inwardly.
By now, it was useless to have regrets, so without another word, they continued to speed along. Gradually, Ryuzetsu began to slow down, which made Naruto even more nervous. Finally, he then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along, carrying Amano at the same time.
Ryuzetsu had long since noticed that Naruto was much faster than her. When he grabbed her arm, she almost pulled away, but when she saw the look of terror on his face, she sighed and allowed him to pull her along.
It was at this point that Amano shivered, and his eyes slowly opened. He looked exhausted.
After assessing his current position, he laughed bitterly and said, "Junior Brother Naruto, I never thought that, after all these years, we would meet again like this."
Seeing that Amano was awake, Ryuzetsu quickly offered him a medicinal pill.
Naruto looked at Amano and sighed. "Elder Brother Amano..."
"There's still hope for us," Amano said. "For their own personal benefit, the Uchiha Clan slaughtered people from the mortal world, extracting their blood and bones for use in a spell formation. Their Foundation Establishment patriarch is currently presiding over an Inverse Blood Grand Magic, so he can't personally come after us. Furthermore, the entire Uchiha Clan is maintaining the spell formation. Therefore... they won't be able to send very many people after us!"
Amano smiled, took the medicinal pill from Ryuzetsu, and swallowed it. Then, his eyes began to shine as he said, "Although we can't get a message to the sect from this location, if we get far enough away, we'll definitely be able to!
"Something big like this, an entire cultivator clan rebelling, will definitely provoke a huge reaction from the sect!"
Thanks to the medicinal pill, he no longer needed help from Naruto, and began to speed along on his own power.
Because of that, they managed to pick up speed. Soon, the borders of the Fallenstar Mountains became visible, and eventually, they shot out into the open, whereupon Ryuzetsu pulled out a jade slip and tried to make contact with the sect. Moments later, her face drained of blood, and she shook her head.
"Still not working…?" muttered Naruto, his heart pounding. Amano merely stood there silently.
None of them spoke any further as they continued on dejectedly. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, a whistling sound could be heard from behind them. Their faces fell as seven figures burst out of the trees not too far away.
In the lead was the young man in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, who looked at Naruto and the others, eyes flickering with killing intent.
"Like I said, you... can't get away! Never forget that the person who killed you is named Sasuke! Kill them!"
The Uchiha Clan members immediately pulled out magical devices, and cold light appeared in their eyes as they closed in.
The faces of Naruto, Ryuzetsu, and Amano flickered, and they gritted their teeth as they tried to pick up speed.
Sasuke was laughing coldly as he flicked his sleeve, causing a violet skull to appear. As it sped through the air, it cackled madly, and within the blink of an eye, it was almost directly upon Naruto and the others. At that point, Sasuke waved his finger, and the skull exploded.
The resulting shockwave sent the three Spirit Stream Sect disciples spinning apart. Ryuzetsu and Amano suddenly lost their momentum, and were almost instantly surrounded by the Uchiha Clan members.
Naruto, however, kept speeding along. Before, he had been somewhat held back by the other two, but now that he was on his own, he burst out with incredible speed, breaking free of the Uchiha Clan members. It only took a moment for him to put dozens of meters between them, and from the look of it, he was only starting to pick up speed.
Even Sasuke, the only member of the Uchiha Clan present who was in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, could do nothing but stare in shock.
"He's fast," Sasuke said coolly. "First kill these two, then we'll go after him!" Waving his sleeve, he turned to Ryuzetsu and Amano, killing intent boiling.
Ryuzetsu coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her body was already spattered in blood; she was surrounded and certain that she was going to die. As she looked at Naruto fleeing off into the distance, she began to laugh bitterly.
She was well aware that Naruto feared death, so although she wasn't very surprised, she couldn't help but feel bitter and hopeless.
"Junior Brother Naruto, I hope you manage to get away..." she thought. At the same time, she performed an incantation gesture, sending a flying sword out with the power of Lightness-in-Heaviness. Coughing up more blood, she continued to try to defend herself.
Amano was also laughing bitterly, but his eyes shone with a cold light. He let out a roar, and although his spiritual energy was mostly depleted, he wasn't ready to just give in. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to take some of the enemy with him as he died, if only to buy some more time for Naruto.
Naruto's face was pale and his heart was pounding. The sensation of danger left him so alarmed that he felt like he might die at any moment, leaving him shaking uncontrollably.
He had never been this frightened before in his entire life. Not when he had left his village to light the incense and brave the lightning, not when Taruho had taken him to 10,000 Snakes Valley, not even when he had seen all those fantastic and powerful creatures while traveling.
In all those situations, he had been nervous, but he had also been confident that... he wouldn't die!
But today, he had the distinct sensation... that he was really going to die!
As he flew along, he suddenly realized that he was alone. Then he looked back in shock to see that the seven members of the Uchiha Clan had surrounded Ryuzetsu and Amano, several hundred meters back.
He also saw that Ryuzetsu was coughing up blood. Anyone in this situation would be able to tell that she and Amano wouldn't be able to hold on for very long before they were cut down.
A tremor ran through Naruto as he stood there watching. He began to shake even harder, and his eyes were completely shot with blood. He could feel his very soul screaming at him to run away as quickly as possible.
In fact, Naruto was quite sure that, considering the speed he could maintain, and given that Ryuzetsu and Amano were preventing the enemy from giving chase, there was actually a good chance... that he could get away.
If he did, he could keep on living, he could continue to practice cultivation, and he could pursue what he really wanted: eternal life with no death. Not only would the sect not punish him if he survived, they would even reward him.
However... if he simply ran away, leaving Ryuzetsu and Amano to their deaths, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. He felt as if his entire body had been split in half, with one half telling him to flee at top speed, otherwise he would die. The other half was telling him that if he left his fellow sect members to die, that he would never be able to rest at ease for the rest of his life!
Panting, he let out a frustrated cry of anger. Blue veins bulged out on his forehead, and he was shaking as hard as a tumbling die. At the moment, he wasn't thinking much about the specifics of the situation, or the potential consequences. His hands clenched into fists as a single thought ran through his head...
"I might be afraid of dying, but... I'm not gonna just run away!" He suddenly began to beat at his chest with his fists. His eyes were completely bloodshot, and he let out a thunderous roar as he suddenly... turned and shot back toward Ryuzetsu and Amano!
He moved so quickly that whistling sounds echoed out in all directions. Amano trembled at the sight of Naruto's sudden reversal in course, and his expression was hard to read. He looked astonished, thankful, and all of a sudden, he started laughing. Then, determination glimmered in his eyes, and without even thinking about defense, he charged toward the Uchiha Clan members with everything he had.
Simultaneously, Ryuzetsu, whose body was splattered with blood from where a flying sword had slashed across her, looked up to see Naruto, eyes bloodshot, roaring as he charged in their direction.
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and her jaw dropped. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as numerous emotions flooded through her. She was touched, excited, and shaken.
She knew how much Naruto was afraid of dying, so when she saw him flying toward them, physically trembling, eyes crimson, she could only imagine how much bravery he had summoned... to stop running away, turn around, and then come back for them.
"Get out of here, you idiot! Run! Don't get yourself killed!" Tears streamed down her face. As Naruto ran toward them bellowing at the top of his lungs, she didn't notice that one of the Uchiha Clan disciples in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation was unleashing a palm strike toward her back.
A boom rang out, and blood sprayed out of her mouth. Her vision swam as she tumbled to the ground. Then, one of the Uchiha Clan cultivators' flying swords began to speed through the air toward her head.
When Naruto saw what was happening, he let out an even more violent roar, and pushed forward with another burst of speed, reaching his very limit. He streaked through the air, turning into a beam of light that shot toward Ryuzetsu. Even as the flying sword bore down on her, Naruto landed at her side, scooped her up with one arm, then clenched his right hand into a fist and punched out toward the flying sword.
A boom echoed out as the flying sword was sent spinning away by the force of Naruto's blow.
The Uchiha Clan members were all greatly shocked. Sasuke's eyes flickered with surprise, but then quickly began to radiate icy killing intent.
"Nice. An expert in disguise. I should have noticed you back when you were in the Shadowhell Formation! Listen up everyone, ignore the other two and kill this guy!" As soon as the words left his mouth, murderous looks appeared in the eyes of the other Uchiha Clan members, and they began to close in on Naruto.
Ryuzetsu was in a bit of a daze as Naruto held her in his arms. Before she could do anything, he put her down off to the side and then shot toward the incoming Uchiha Clan cultivators.
His eyes were bright red, and it almost seemed that as of this moment, he wasn't thinking about dying at all. In fact, he wasn't thinking about anything except: Save Amano. Save Ryuzetsu. Kill all enemies!
The nearest of those opponents was in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, and as he closed in, his hands flickered in an incantation gesture. In response, a glowing awl suddenly appeared, which shot viciously toward Naruto.
"Screw off!" Naruto roared, unleashing a ferocious palm strike. The little awl began to wobble, and when Naruto's palm slammed into it, the glowing light shattered, and the awl was sent spinning away.
The cultivator who had summoned the awl gasped, and an expression of shock flickered across his face. Just when he was about to fall back in retreat, Naruto performed an incantation gesture and pointed out. His wooden sword appeared and shot out like lightning. It didn't matter that his opponent was in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation; he was incapable of evading, and in fact, didn't even have time to react before the sword stabbed into his forehead.
A miserable shriek echoed out as the wooden sword stabbed all the way through him, coming out the other side in a spray of blood. Then, it circled through the air and headed toward the next enemy.
At the same time, one of the Uchiha Clan members in the seventh level of Chakra Condensation performed an incantation gesture, causing mist to roil up around him, making him look like an enormous mist giant. Even as he closed in, Naruto's hand suddenly shot out, and his thumb and index fingers connected. Black light flickered, and the defenses provided by the mist could do nothing to stop the black light.
Throat Crushing Grasp!
Cracking sounds rang out as the mist dissipated. The cultivator's eyes went wide at the sight of the arm grabbing his neck. Then, his throat was completely crushed.
Everything happened with incredible speed. Only a few breaths of time had passed since Naruto had begun his charge, and already, two members of the Uchiha Clan had been killed!
Amano, who had already fallen back to stand at Ryuzetsu's side, gasped, and his eyes went wide with shock.
Ryuzetsu was completely and utterly taken aback. The Naruto she was seeing right now was completely different from the one she remembered, causing her to pant in disbelief. Was this really the same Naruto who was so afraid of dying?
At this point, the remaining shocked members of the Uchiha Clan finally unleashed their killing moves. These were their most powerful trump cards, one being a flying sword, another a pearl, and the last, a little cauldron, all of which shot toward Naruto.
Astonishingly, the three of them were joining forces to attack simultaneously!
Of that group of three, two were in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, and one was in the seventh. Their combined attack was completely vicious as they went all out with everything they had to try to strike down Naruto when he couldn't dodge.
Naruto's eyes were glowing red as the three closed in on him. Even as their magical devices bore down on him, he curled his arms and legs up until he looked like a ball. Previously, Ryuzetsu had mocked the big black wok he wore on his back, but now, it covered him up completely.
The little cauldron which had been unleashed by the seventh level cultivator slammed into the black wok, causing a boom to echo out that could shake heaven and earth. Cracks spread out across the wok, but it held strong against the cauldron.
Next was the pearl. Rumbling sounds echoed out as it slammed into the wok. The wok couldn't hold up any longer, and exploded, transforming into countless black fragments that showered out in all directions. Naruto shot out from the wreckage, flying toward the seventh level cultivator.
When the man saw Naruto flying toward him, his face fell. He immediately fell back, but couldn't move fast enough.
None of the magical protective items the man had could do anything to stop Naruto, who slammed into him, causing the cracking sounds of breaking bones to ring out. Instantly, Naruto went in for another attack, butting him with his head.
BOOOMMMM!
"No!" screamed the man. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and a look of despair filled his eyes, but he couldn't break free from Naruto.
Off to the side, his fellow clan members in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation were nearly scared out of their minds. Trembling, one of them sent a flying sword toward Naruto.
Naruto completely ignored it as he once again lunged toward the middle-aged man.
The flying sword slammed into Naruto, and in a completely shocking twist, it didn't stab into him, but rather, bounced off and was sent spinning away.
Naruto let out a roar, striking the middle-aged man once more. A bloodcurdling scream echoed out as the man died.
To the other two clan members in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation, Naruto, with his bloodshot eyes and disheveled hair, looked like a wild beast. Their scalps began to tingle as he slowly turned to look at them. Without the slightest hesitation, they turned and fled.
Off in the distance, Sasuke was completely shaken by what had just occurred, and he could scarcely even believe what he had just witnessed.
Seeing that the two sixth level cultivators were fleeing, Naruto performed an incantation gesture, then waved his finger. His little wooden sword instantly flew through the air, slashing across the neck of one of the cultivators.
His companion's eyes instantly shone with an unprecedented level of astonishment and terror.
They were the ones who were supposed to be doing the chasing and killing, but now... the tables had turned, and they were being cut down!
In a few short moments, Naruto had already killed four people!
The remaining sixth level cultivator had an ashen face as he went all out to try to escape. His heart was pounding, and he was trembling all over. How could he ever have imagined that the slender, pure and fair Spirit Stream Sect disciple could... be so utterly terrifying?
Naruto's eyes shone with a savage gleam, and he was just about to give chase when, all of a sudden, a sensation of danger welled up in his heart.
At the same time, Ryuzetsu cried out urgently, "Watch out!"
Naruto immediately leaped backward. In almost the exact same instant, a three-meter tall violet skull shot into the area where he had just been standing, then exploded.
A boom rang out as the power of explosion blasted out, slamming into Naruto. For the first time, his Undying Iron Skin felt pain, and blood even oozed out of his mouth as he flew backward.
The person to attack him had been none other than Sasuke, who was in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation.
His expression was unsightly, and a very serious look could be seen in his eyes. After saving his fellow clan member from danger, he flashed through the air toward Naruto. Behind him were two other cultivators, who were in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation. They gritted their teeth and followed along.
Three people were now charging toward Naruto.
Amano wanted to help, but was simply too weak. The attack he had made earlier drained him of the last scrap of spiritual energy he had, and blood was currently seeping out of the corners of his mouth. Unfortunately, he was in no state to fight.
Ryuzetsu had been seriously injured, and as she anxiously watched Naruto fighting, she realized that all of the previous hostility and prejudice she had felt toward him were gone.
Naruto's face was ashen as more blood oozed out of his mouth. He appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, and had seemingly lost much of the speed he had been capable of earlier. Seeing that, Sasuke and his companions closed in for the kill.
However, as they closed in, a brutal gleam appeared in Naruto's eyes. While it was true that his Undying Iron Skin couldn't completely block Sasuke's attack moments ago, the truth was that it had absorbed the majority of the force of the attack. His current weak state, and even the blood oozing out of his mouth, were all an act.
In the blink of an eye, he redoubled his speed. Furthermore, instead of retreating, he switched directions, passing Sasuke toward his true target... the two sixth level Uchiha Clan cultivators.
Sasuke's face flickered, and even as he made to block Naruto's path, Naruto's wooden sword shot toward him. Sasuke performed an incantation gesture and pointed out, summoning the same skull from earlier. Rumbling sounds echoed out, but Sasuke was incapable of stopping Naruto.
A fierce gleam appeared in Sasuke's eyes, and he waved his sleeve, causing a lantern to materialize, which expanded out in a fireball that sped toward Naruto.
At the same time, the two weaker cultivators were crying out in shock and falling back in retreat. However, Naruto moved as fast as lightning, and was almost instantly upon one of them, whereupon he reached out with his thumb and index finger, causing a flickering black glow to appear as he pinched his fingers together.
Throat Crushing Grasp!
The nearest Uchiha Clan cultivator screamed, and then a cracking sound echoed out as his neck was crushed. At the same time, the blisteringly hot fireball was closing in on Naruto from behind, and there was clearly no time for him to jump out of the way. Instantly, it slammed into him.
A sea of flames exploded out, surrounding Naruto, and causing both Ryuzetsu and Amano to shout out in alarm: "Naruto!"
Further off, the surviving cultivator among the duo seemed delighted at the sight of Naruto being consumed by the fire, and even started laughing.
But then something barreled out from within the sea of flames to appear directly in front of that laughing cultivator. His eyes went wide, and before he could even retreat, Naruto kicked down viciously, crushing the man's head into his torso. He didn't even have a chance to scream before he was completely dead.
By this point, Naruto was panting, and his eyes were even more shot with blood than before. Wounds riddled his body, and blood was oozing out of his mouth as he slowly looked up to glare at the last member of the Uchiha Clan... Sasuke!
Being stared at in such a way caused Sasuke's heart to prickle. His cultivation base was in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, and he could be considered one of the Chosen in his clan. Although he didn't quite have the status of crown prince, he had the approval of the patriarch and had experienced numerous deadly battles with beasts in the Fallenstar Mountains. Such deadly tempering had given him extraordinary battle prowess.
As such, he completely looked down upon disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect. Although they far exceed him in terms of status, to him, cultivators from the big sects were like flowers in a flowerpot. Although they had extraordinary divine abilities, when it came to battles of life and death, they couldn't possibly match up to him.
And yet now, Naruto caused terror to well up inside of him. In fact, the moment that Naruto's eyes locked onto him, he felt more frightened than any time he had encountered a wild beast in the Fallenstar Mountains.
That gaze contained a ferocity that seemed to wish to consume him alive, and caused coldness to spread out in Sasuke's heart.
When he thought about the fact that this person had slaughtered six of his fellow clan members in quick succession, he was completely and utterly shaken. In fact, what was most unbelievable of all was that this person's cultivation base... was merely in the great circle of the sixth level of Chakra Condensation.
"He's way too powerful and fast! He obviously cultivates some sort of body refinement magic, and has cultivated it to the level that he can kill people in one blow!
"Furthermore, his defenses are terrifying!
"He doesn't have any magical techniques, but his control over his flying sword is incredible. The sword not only moves with unimaginable speed, it's backed with astonishing power. And that wooden sword is definitely no ordinary item. It's obviously something so incredible it can kill someone in the sixth level of Chakra Condensation!
"This guy must be a famous Chosen from the Spirit Stream Sect. How come I've never heard his name before? Naruto!" In his shock, Sasuke felt a desire to fight burning within him. He waved his hand, causing three fist-sized jade skulls to fly out.
His expression was very serious as he looked over at Naruto.
"I underestimated you, but that's not going to happen again. Let's see which is more powerful, the magical techniques of your Spirit Stream Sect, or the killer ghouls of my Uchiha Clan!"
Even as his words continued to echo out, Sasuke performed an incantation gesture, causing the three skulls to suddenly begin to scream in very lifelike fashion. They also rapidly grew larger, until each one was fully three meters tall. Then, they all shot toward Naruto.
Naruto's breath came in ragged pants. His mind was a blank, devoid of any thinking. He had forgotten about the possibility of dying, and the only thing he had was the impulse to cut down his opponent.
As the skulls closed in on him, he quickly performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then waved his finger, sending his little wooden sword screaming out, to be joined by two other ordinary flying swords. Instantly, massive amounts of sword light filled the area as Naruto began his charge.
There was also a little shield which appeared and began to fly around him, radiating magical light.
A moment later, Naruto and his flying swords slammed into the skulls, causing massive rumbling sounds to echo out. Instantly, fierce fighting broke out between Naruto and Sasuke.
Sasuke was in the eighth level of Chakra Condensation, with a cultivation base much more profound that Naruto's. However, in terms of power and defense, as the two fought, it became obvious that they were about even.
Waves of shock battered Ryuzetsu's heart. She was so nervous that her hands were clenched into fists, and her fingernails dug painfully into her palms.
The annoying Naruto she remembered from the competition was nowhere to be seen. He had been replaced by someone with veins of steel, someone who was able to fight with Sasuke of the Uchiha Clan!
"I misjudged him... This is the real Naruto...
"He really is afraid of dying, but to come back and fight to the death like he has done takes far more courage than that possessed by most ordinary people..." As she looked at Naruto, Ryuzetsu's eyes glowed with increased vigor.
"Even though he fears death, his heart is strong, and he has principles. Even if he is afraid of getting killed, he won't give up on his companions..."
Ear-splitting booms rang out constantly. Before long, Naruto's two ordinary flying swords were destroyed. Only his wooden sword remained. However, the three skulls were much dimmer than before, and were clearly significantly damaged as they flew back to Sasuke.
Naruto took advantage of the opportunity that provided to launch another attack. Blood sprayed out of Sasuke's mouth as Naruto's Throat Crushing Grasp latched onto his arm. Cracking sounds rang out as the bones were shattered. However, Sasuke still managed to spit a tiny sword out of his mouth, which shot toward Naruto and stabbed a full inch into his shoulder!
Not even the Undying Iron Skin could stop it, and blood immediately began to flow. Sasuke instantly shot backward, but before he could get very far, Naruto, eyes bloodshot and completely disregarding his own injuries, gave chase at top speed.
Sasuke's face looked extremely unsightly as he clenched his jaw in the face of the deadly situation that was developing. He quickly performed an incantation gesture and then tapped his forehead, causing his entire body to tremble. Even as all of the Chakra and blood in his body began to surge violently, he slapped his hand down onto the crown of his head.
"Naruto, someone is going to die today, and it will be either me or you!" On any other occasion, Sasuke would have already ceased fighting. But this was a critical moment for his clan, and he knew that he had to kill Naruto. He quickly spit out some of his life blood, which was voraciously consumed by the three skulls.
"Ghoul Bloodbath!" he howled as he unleashed his secret magic. The three skulls' eyes began to glow with mysterious light as they shot toward Sasuke and began to madly chew away at his flesh and blood as they tried to burrow into his body.
The bizarre sight caused Ryuzetsu and Amano to gasp. Simultaneously, Sasuke let out a miserable howl. His entire body was shaking, and his expression was completely vicious as a black fog roiled out from inside of him, transforming him into a three-meter-tall ghoul!
"Die!" he roared, shoving his hand out as he shot toward Naruto.
"You'll be the one to die!" Naruto howled. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and then he pointed up into the air. Spiritual energy roiled madly out of him, shooting up into the air to form the shocking image of a cauldron!
This was none other than...
Violet Chakra Cauldron Summoning!
"Violet Chakra Cauldron Summoning!?" Amano and Ryuzetsu were both shocked, and expressions of intense astonishment appeared on their faces.
That was especially true of Ryuzetsu. Having mastered the art of Lightness-in-Heaviness, she knew how difficult Violet Chakra Cauldron Summoning was, and that on all of the south bank, only a few people could do it.
Rumbling echoed out as the huge cauldron slammed into the ghoul. The ground quaked as it screamed and collapsed into numerous strands of black fog that roiled out in all directions, revealing Sasuke.
Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he slammed down onto the ground. Looking up bitterly at the huge cauldron, he murmured, "Violet Chakra... Cauldron Summoning..."
With that, he struggled to turn his head to look one more time at Naruto before passing away into death. The secret magic he had unleashed inflicted serious damage on his internal organs. That, coupled with a blow from the Violet Chakra Cauldron Summoning that destroyed even the ghoul, ensured that he had no hope of surviving.
Even as he died, his eyes were still staring at Naruto.
Naruto looked at the dead Sasuke, and then suddenly sagged in place. His internal spiritual energy had been vastly depleted, leaving him dizzy and as weak as a deflated balloon. He stood there, shivering, swaying back and forth, his face pale. He almost didn't dare to believe that he had actually killed all these people.
As he thought back to the events which had just played out, he suddenly noticed a sweet taste, which was the blood oozing out of his mouth.
"I'm bleeding…" he thought. "I... I almost got killed!" Everywhere hurt, especially his shoulder. There were also numerous burns all over his body, which pulsed with pain. As Naruto thought back to the fight, fear welled up within him, and he trembled.
"Why... why did I come back? That... was so dangerous. I might have lost my little life... I, Naruto, am always careful in everything I do. How could I have been so impulsive...?" Just as post-traumatic stress was about to hurl him into regret, something extremely soft and yet simultaneously firm leapt into his arms. He could feel curves, and could smell a delicate fragrance. It was none other than Ryuzetsu.
At first, he was surprised, but his expression quickly turned serious. Holding Ryuzetsu tight, he calmly said, "Elder Sister Ryuzetsu, fear not. With Naruto here, no one will be able to harm a hair on your head!"
Even as he spoke, his hand suddenly found itself resting on a soft, curved surface...
"Thank you, thank you..." she gushed emotionally, tears streaming down her face. It took her a moment to realize that somehow she was in Naruto's arms. And then she realized what his hands were doing behind her, and her face reddened. She quickly backed up and looked at him angrily.
Naruto cleared his throat, savoring the sensation he had just experienced, and mused that Ryuzetsu definitely deserved to be known as one of the top beauties on the south bank.
A strange expression could be seen on Amano's face. Clearing his throat, he smiled at Naruto. "Junior Brother Naruto, we'll have time later to think about everything that has happened here. The Uchiha Clan is definitely going to send more people to kill us, and this time it will most likely be the most powerful experts they have under the level of Foundation Establishment. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."
Naruto shivered. He had just used every trick he had at his disposal to beat these people. The mere thought of anyone showing up who was more powerful than Sasuke caused Naruto's face to grow pale. Looking at the chaos around him, he instantly nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, let's get out of here, as quickly as possible!" With that, he instantly began to run away. He cut a very different image than the vicious fighter with veins of steel. However, this time, Ryuzetsu didn't find it annoying, but actually rather charming. As she followed along, she thought back to the vicious fight he had gone through to rescue her, and the glow in her eyes grew stronger.
Amano shook his head. Quickly gathering up the Uchiha Clan members' bags of holding, he caught up with Naruto and handed them over.
"Junior Brother Naruto, these are your spoils of war."
Naruto threw them into his robe without even looking at them. As of this point, he couldn't stop shaking, and could only think of one thing: fleeing.
A short time ago….
Back in the Fallenstar Mountains, in the Uchiha Clan's necropolis, the lake of blood was surrounded by the various nodes that formed the spell formation. When the first Uchiha Clan member fell to Naruto's hand, one of those nodes collapsed, and the blood inside dried up.
This scene caused the Uchiha Clan members to stare in shock. However, before any of them could react, the same thing happened to a second node, then a third, a fourth and a fifth...
Rumbling sounds echoed out continuously.
The Uchiha Clan was completely in shock, and one face after another fell. Then, the patriarch in the middle of the lake of blood slowly opened his eyes.
In that exact moment, a boom rang out from the node which Sasuke had recently occupied.
"I can't believe that Sasuke... was just killed!"
"They're all dead. All seven people who were sent out have been killed!"
"How is this even possible? Weren't they going after two lowly Outer Sect disciples? Could it be that the Spirit Stream Sect knows about us, and sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator?!" The Uchiha Clan members couldn't suppress their shock, and a huge commotion instantly broke out, along with looks of fear and terror.
"Pipe down!" said an icy voice, which cut through all of the clamor. It was none other than the Foundation Establishment patriarch. His voice echoed out like a thunderclap, causing the rest of the clan members to tremble and look nervously over at him.
"The heaven-defying chance to change our destiny, to expel the seal from within our blood, is a chance we will only come across once in a thousand years," he said slowly. "Since the decision has been made, there is no need to let our imaginations run wild. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator had set foot into the security spell formation I have set up, I would have detected it. As of this moment... no Foundation Establishment cultivator has come, nor have any words been sent back. What are you people getting flustered for?" An unsightly expression could be seen on his face; were it not for the fact that he had to maintain the spell formation, he would have personally gone out to wipe out Naruto and the others.
However, if he left, the Inverse Blood spell formation, which was the only way their clan could break free from the Spirit Stream Sect, would unleash a powerful backlash. Although he might be able to survive, the rest of the clan would find their blood flowing in reverse, and would die.
"It wouldn't necessarily take a Foundation Establishment cultivator to kill Sasuke and his group. Those two Outer Sect disciples were either concealing the level of their cultivation bases, or have some sort of rare magical items!
"Even if they were concealing their cultivation bases, at the most, they might be at the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. As for magical items... the more powerful they are, the harder they will be for Chakra Condensation cultivators to use.
"Madara!" The old man's eyes glittered brightly as he slapped his hand down onto the surface of the lake of blood. Immediately, the blood began to ripple as a young man rose up from within, clad in a blood-red robe.
He was exceedingly handsome, with chiseled features, and as soon as he opened his eyes, they glowed with the color of blood. Even as his energy surged up, nine blood-colored ghouls appeared around him, which emitted soundless howls.
When the surrounding members of the Uchiha Clan saw the young man, excited expressions could be seen on their faces, and they clasped hands and bowed their heads.
When the patriarch looked at the young man, his eyes gleamed with kindness and praise. His voice was soft as he said, "Heng'er, you are the crown prince of the Uchiha Clan, and with a cultivation base of the ninth level of Chakra Condensation, you are our most powerful expert next to me... You are well-qualified to handle this task. Take nine people with you... and kill all of the Outer Sect disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect!"
The young man nodded, then coldly responded, "I won't return until they're dead."
He leapt up, and the nine blood-colored ghouls transformed into a blood mist that lifted him up into the air. One by one, he nodded at nine other clan members, after which the ten of them left.
Soon, ten figures were speeding out of the Uchiha Clan mansion. The young man named Madara then waved his hand, causing blood mists to appear beneath all of their feet, after which they flew off at top speed.
They moved with incredible speed as they used a clan blood tracking technique to head toward the area where Sasuke and the others had been killed.
Madara was in the ninth level of Chakra Condensation. As for the rest of the group, five were in the same level as Sasuke had been, the eighth level of Chakra Condensation. The rest were in the seventh level.
A squad like this was the most powerful force that the Uchiha Clan could afford to send out at the moment.
After enough time had passed for an incense stick to burn, Madara and his group burst out of the jungle of the Fallenstar Mountains to appear in the location where Sasuke and his group of seven had died.
The shocking sight of all the corpses caused the faces of the other nine clan members to flicker.
However, Madara looked coldly at the corpses, and especially at those whose necks had been crushed, and his eyes began to shine with a mysterious light.
"A body refinement cultivator!"
He suddenly flickered through the air to appear next to Sasuke's corpse. After studying it thoughtfully for a few breaths of time, he reached down, pushed his hand onto the ground and closed his eyes. After a moment, his eyes opened.
"Interesting. I can sense the lingering fluctuations of Violet Chakra Cauldron Summoning...
"That means he simultaneously cultivates both magic and his body. With such shocking fleshly body power, and an impressive magical technique, it's no wonder he cut down Sasuke and the others.
"He must be one of the Chosen of the Spirit Stream Sect. Zabuza perhaps? Or is he A?" A brutal gleam rose up in Madara's eyes, within which flickered a deep desire to do battle.
"All of you pick a different direction to search in," he said, his voice as cold as ice. "Once you track them down, send me a message immediately!" With that, the others nodded in affirmation and then scattered in different directions.
With a cold snort, Madara picked a direction to begin searching, and flew off. "The security spell formation is vast. You won't be able to leave it for the next half month. You people... are dead!"
At dusk on the following day, Naruto and the others were still speeding along. Occasionally, they would make attempts to use their transmission jade slips, but never succeeded in making contact with the sect.
Thankfully, they had plenty of medicinal pills. The seven Uchiha Clan cultivators Naruto had killed had all had bags of holding. Although the resources inside weren't at quite the same level as what was available in the Spirit Stream Sect, at a time like this, it was more than sufficient.
With medicinal pills to bolster them, Ryuzetsu and Amano were in high spirits. With their injuries under control, they managed to continue on through the entire night.
Naruto trembled in fear the entire time. The slightest breeze or rustling leaf would cause sweat to break out on his forehead. His heart felt tight, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. He was also still sore from the fighting, which often left him gritting his teeth from the pain.
It wasn't that the pain was unendurable. Actually, it didn't measure up at all to the pain he had felt while cultivating the Undying Live Forever Technique. What bothered him was the actual sight of the blood and wounds, and the fear that they might worsen and eventually become life-threatening. He couldn't help but grimace in anxiety at the thought of it.
Back before all of this had started, Ryuzetsu would definitely have mocked him for that, and thought less of him than before. But now, everything was different, and a warm look could be seen in her eyes as she continuously comforted him.
"It's okay. Don't be scared, Junior Brother Naruto. This wound looks bad, but it's not life-threatening.
"Don't move, I'll put some more medicinal ointment on it..."
Seeing Naruto wince in pain despite the critical danger they were in caused Ryuzetsu to secretly smile. Within that smile were numerous undefinable emotions.
She knew how much Naruto feared death, and it was that knowledge that left her so moved and shaken that he had returned. In fact, she even felt as if there were a superlative bravery lurking somewhere inside of him.
That bravery could give birth to a figure with veins of steel, which was something she would never be able to forget.
With Ryuzetsu constantly comforting him, Naruto started to feel more and more pleased with himself, and was starting to get the feeling that taking such a deadly risk had definitely been the right thing to do. After all, it had resulted in the beautiful Ryuzetsu treating him so warmly all of a sudden.
When Amano saw what was happening, he looked on with smiling eyes. Considering that they were all fleeing for their lives together, it was only natural that warm feelings would develop between all of them, and that they would become closer.
"Junior Brother Naruto, Junior Sister Ryuzetsu," he said, his tone serious, "if we can make it back to the sect alive, then I'll remember this kindness you've shown me, for the rest of my life!"
"If we can make it back...?" A look of longing appeared in Ryuzetsu's eyes, but she quickly sighed and looked over at Naruto. Pain rose up in her heart as she realized that the chances of the three of them getting back alive... were miniscule.
Naruto sank further into silence.