Chapter 038
Two in particular tried to hit him with staffs from either side in an effort to cut him off, but Naruto countered their attempt by leaping between them, performing a quick series of flips before sending a split kick at both parties, connecting with their faces. After a momentary hang time, the blonde then spiraled back down to the ground where, upon landing on his back, launched a double kick at a thug coming at him from ahead, knocking him out just as he had done everybody else.
Within minutes upon the start of the confrontation, Jako's once smug expression slowly deteriorated into one of utter shock and disbelief as he watched wave after wave of his men literally get taken down by a brat no older than ten. His jaw hung open on his flabbergasted face when he saw five of his subordinates try to surround the runt and attack him at once, only to have their target leap into the air, hang upside-down in mid-jump before spinning at them with kicks from both his feet like a top. The squad of mercenaries was smacked around and knocked away, allowing the blonde to drop back to the ground along with their unconscious forms and rush at the last remaining thug wielding a ball and chain.
"You rat! Just die already!" the gangster roared, skillfully spinning the iron weight around before flinging it at his target full force.
Naruto ducked right under it, weaving through the whipping chain before ramming a fully cocked right straight into the man's stomach once he was within range. The blow blasted the attacker back several feet like he was hit in the gut by a charging bull, the jinchuriki slowing to a stop and watching the stunned individual drop to his knees. Blood dripping out of his mouth, the groaning and seriously injured long-ranged combatant then fell flat onto his face with a deafening thud, his knock-out accompanied by a small cloud of dust.
This final take down signaled the defeat of the last of three dozen men sent to deal with the blonde punk, all of whom were now lying across the wide open road either whimpering in agony or showing zero signs of life.
Tayuya, who had been watching the entire fight from the sidelines, stood silent and stunned. She gazed in utter disbelief at the scene before her, watching as Naruto stepped around his fallen adversaries, dusted his hands down and then, after securing a good position on the highway, turned to face the leader of the pack, Jako.
The way he turned onto the wind and stood between her and the last of the mercenaries was, in her opinion, one of the coolest things she had ever seen.
"I… I don't believe it," the red head exclaimed, a smile quickly forming on her face, "H-He can do it. Naruto-kun can actually beat them!" A warm expression crossed Tayuya's face as she gazed at the boy's shoulders, her eyes shimmering with excitement and her cheeks glowing in admiration.
Jake on the other hand was beside himself, "Y-You… how did you?" He gritted his teeth and stepped forward, bringing his liquid chakra crafted sword around to point at the kid. "Who the hell are you?" Sweat visibly began to drip down his brow as he locked his best death glare on his surprisingly powerful adversary. "This kid is no ordinary street punk. What the fuck is he?"
"Who am I?" Naruto repeated with a sly grin, grabbing his goggles and pulling them down over his eyes. "Well, how about a stranger from out of town passing through and looking for some trouble. Satisfied?"
"FUCK NO!" the gangster roared, swinging his weapon back and chucking it at the boy.
"Man. I have to come up with some kind of introduction for myself. Maybe something with epic music in the background while I'm striking an awesome pose," Naruto thought before backhanding the incoming projectile and causing it to slam into a nearby wall, cracking it on impact and impaling the surface. Villagers watching in that area quickly ducked for cover, while the jinchuriki lowered the blade he used to defend himself.
"You've used up the last of my patience you little shit! I'm taking you down right now!" Whipping his other arm out, a second tube suddenly popped into view from Jako's wrist.
The lead mercenary then held both arms out like he was slinging web from them and fired off a barrage of densely compressed balls of liquid chakra. The blobs shot through the air at the speed of bullets, startling Naruto and forcing the youngster to break for the nearest alleyway, dodging pellets as they came at him. "Holy shit! AHH! W-What the hell?! Whoa!" The chakra gobs tore up the road behind him as he retreated, sending rubble and debris flying into the air.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Jako laughed, rushing forward and keeping the orange monkey in his sights as he began firing upon buildings. The wooden homes and shops Naruto managed to take cover behind had holes blasted into them, the air quickly filling with dust and splinters. The cackling thief then ceased running and glared through the shit storm he'd created, trying to lock back onto his hidden foe.
"Damn. I overdid it. Where'd that bastard run off to?"
Just as he began searching through the wall of clouds rising up from the alley more intensely, a spark suddenly caught the man's eye and forced him to look up. When he did, Jako saw a sparkler shoot up from the smoke, zip through the air and dart straight towards him. It didn't look like a kunai or anything particularly dangerous, but not being one to take any chances Jako fired at it with his chakra launcher, intercepting the firework only for it to suddenly split up and multiply, before each of the dozen now smaller sparklers detonated around him.
The firework explosions encompassed the man with bright flashes and hot, stinging flickers, not only blinding him but stunning him. The bewildered Jako staggered back and waved his hands out in front of him, hissing in pain, "Gah! Damn it! You little trickster!" Trying to regain his senses, he was then hit by something small, fast moving, and round. The iron ball that came shooting from the smoke next smacked him clear in the forehead, causing the mercenary to yelp in shock and squint through a blurry vision to see exactly what was hitting him next.
Unfortunately, thanks to the stun bombs and the smoke messing up his vision, Jako couldn't make heads or tails of anything further than ten feet away from him when he was suddenly and inexplicably bombarded by a shower of iron pellets from somewhere directly ahead.
The half-blinded bastard was clipped in the shoulders, chest, fingers, toes, and even the genital area, an assault that was near impossible to defend against. The man cried out in torment as he was gradually pushed back into the wall of a building on the other side of the road, flailing his arms out in front of him uselessly with not a single portion of his body being spared from the onslaught.
"F-Fuck! Stop pelting me with crap you son of a-GAGH!" His words were literally caught in his throat when something small was shot into his mouth, which he swallowed. A split second later, his face turned bright red and he began spewing fire uncontrollably. "GAAAAAHHHH! WATER!"
"How do you like my Wasabi Pellet?" Naruto laughed as he came sprinting out of the dust keeping him concealed. With an opportunity finally presented to him, the boy in goggles zigzagged out from his sniping position and darted straight for his foe, watching him stumble about, clutching his throat and gushing flames. "Cool huh? Maybe not for you, but for me definitely! Bon appétit."
"Y-You!" Jako gagged, throwing his wrist out and firing off another salvo....