Chapter 177: The Kill

"What?" Koharu Shuji exclaimed in shock as he saw the numerous fireballs hurtling towards him. "How is he so fast?"

But there was no time to ponder.

As the fireballs closed in, Koharu Shuji pushed off the ground and retreated, narrowly avoiding the attack.

As for the creature...

It sensed the danger and burrowed into the ground, disappearing.

Unable to sense its presence, Seimei temporarily ignored it and focused on Koharu Shuji.

Before Koharu Shuji could regain his footing, Seimei used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him, thrusting his short sword towards his heart.

Caught off guard, Koharu Shuji could only swing his kunai to deflect Seimei's attack.

*Slash*

The blade grazed Koharu Shuji's waist, leaving a deep wound. Blood gushed out, instantly soaking his clothes.

Enduring the pain, Koharu Shuji swung his kunai to counterattack.

However, before he could move, Seimei had already anticipated his action and vanished from his sight.

Seeing this familiar scene, Koharu Shuji became highly alert, trying to sense everything around him and be wary of attacks from his blind spots.

Seimei had used this move multiple times in their previous encounters, and Koharu Shuji had gained some experience dealing with it.

*Whoosh*

The sound of a blade piercing the air.

Koharu Shuji felt a chill down his spine. He quickly turned and retreated, raising his kunai to block Seimei's sword strike.

"He'll probably disappear again and attack from my left or right," Koharu Shuji thought, observing Seimei's feet and trying to predict his next move.

However, to his surprise, Seimei didn't vanish as usual but remained in place.

"What's going on?"

Just as Koharu Shuji was puzzled, a sense of danger washed over him.

He looked up slightly and saw a pale blue chakra ball in Seimei's left palm.

As a Jonin, he had good knowledge and immediately recognized it as a high-density chakra sphere.

Being able to condense chakra to such a degree meant its destructive power was definitely not weak.

"I can't take this head-on!" Koharu Shuji concluded instantly.

He pushed off the ground and retreated rapidly.

However, Seimei pursued relentlessly, his left hand's Rasengan aimed at Koharu Shuji's abdomen.

At the critical moment, Koharu Shuji used the Substitution Jutsu.

*Boom*

Seimei's left hand hit Koharu Shuji's position, but it only shattered the rock left behind by the Substitution Jutsu.

Koharu Shuji's eyelids twitched. He was glad he hadn't tried to block it; otherwise, he would have been severely injured.

Seimei turned, locked onto Koharu Shuji's new location, and was about to give chase.

But at that moment, the creature suddenly emerged from the ground in front of him, lunging at him.

Seimei ducked, avoiding the creature's bite.

As the creature flew over his head, Seimei raised his sword to attack.

But then, the creature twisted its body, and its thick-scaled tail whipped towards him.

From the whistling sound, Seimei knew he couldn't withstand this attack.

He jumped up with all his might, leaving his original spot.

*Crack*

The creature's tail slammed into the ground, creating a crack. The force behind the attack was immense.

Seimei's eyes twitched slightly. He quickly formed hand seals and used the Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, launching a massive fireball at the creature.

The creature couldn't dodge in time and curled up, using its tail to protect its relatively soft abdomen and head, relying on the thick scales on its back to resist the attack.

*Boom*

The fireball hit the creature and exploded.

The powerful shockwave sent the creature flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss*

The creature writhed and screamed in pain, its body engulfed in flames.

Seeing this, Seimei didn't hesitate. He immediately started forming hand seals for a second attack.

But at that moment, a sense of crisis arose.

Seimei glanced at Koharu Shuji and saw a wind blade forming in front of him, then flying straight towards Seimei.

The wind blade was incredibly fast. Seimei didn't have time to think. He turned his body and spat out the fireball he was about to unleash towards the incoming attack.

*Whoosh*

The sound of air being torn apart.

The fireball was sliced in half by the wind blade before it could travel far. Its internal structure was disrupted, and it exploded into a cloud of chakra, dissipating.

The wind blade, almost unaffected, continued towards Seimei.

The three tomoe in Seimei's Sharingan spun rapidly, locking onto the wind blade's trajectory. He lunged to the side.

*Slash*

Blood splattered.

The wind blade grazed his left arm, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone.

Seimei's eyes turned cold, but instead of attacking Koharu Shuji, he charged towards the creature with his sword.

He realized that this creature was the biggest obstacle to defeating Koharu Shuji. If he didn't kill it, it would continue to interfere.

In that case, he wouldn't hold back.

The creature was currently in a weakened state after his previous attack, presenting a perfect opportunity.

"Chika!" Koharu Shuji shouted anxiously.

Hearing his master's voice, the creature endured the pain and tried to flee.

As for burrowing...

Seimei was already close, leaving it no chance to do so.

Seeing the creature running on its six legs, Seimei quickly took out his remaining kunai, wrapped them with explosive tags, and threw them.

With his mastered Shuriken Throwing Technique and the Sharingan's prediction, Seimei easily landed the kunai where he wanted them.

As the creature ran, a kunai suddenly appeared on a tree trunk in front of it.

Seeing the burning explosive tag, the creature quickly changed direction, attempting to run to the right.

However, as soon as it turned its head, it saw another kunai with an explosive tag.

The creature was startled and changed direction again.

But it was met with yet another kunai and another burning explosive tag.

*Hiss*

The creature let out a terrified scream as all three explosive tags detonated simultaneously.

Three loud booms echoed, and the creature was blasted backward.

While it was still dazed, a short sword pierced its right eye and penetrated its brain.

*Screech*

The creature let out a painful cry and shook its head violently, throwing Seimei off.

Mid-air, Seimei pulled out his short sword.

Brain matter and blood splattered from the creature's wound.

In this state, there was no chance of survival.

(End of Chapter)