Chapter 22: A Fierce Dragon Crosses the River

Land of Frost, Renzan Mountain.

The mountains resembled teeth, straight and sharp, connected by iron chains between peaks. In the depths of winter, the chains were covered with frost, making it impossible for birds to pass.

Kawamoto Seichiro tightened his cotton coat, huddling behind a large rock, unable to stop stomping his feet.

Bandits establish their position through violence and naturally don't emphasize honor and loyalty like in legendary stories. The hierarchy among them is strict. Despite Seichiro's strength, he was new and thus had to stand guard in the snowstorm.

"Stand guard... Guard against what? Those bastards are inside feasting while I have to stay out here..." Seichiro muttered angrily.

The cold wind howled, making Seichiro shiver and stomp his feet hard.

'Damn it... Who could possibly climb Renzan Mountain in this weather? Better find a place to hide... Maybe sneak some wine to warm up...'

He cursed as he stood up, planning to sneak into the house for some food. Bandits, after all, had rules, but they weren't as disciplined as a regular army. Leaving the post during the night watch was common.

However, just as Seichiro stood straight and subconsciously looked out at the mountain, he was struck by disbelief, frozen in place.

In the dark, snowy night, a figure suddenly appeared in mid-air. This person was walking on the iron chains connecting the peaks, not minding the icy, slippery chains, balancing and controlling their body with terrifying precision.

Seichiro rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating from the cold.

He rubbed his eyes hard, and when he opened them, the figure on the chain had disappeared.

Then, the figure appeared in front of him.

"Renzan Mountain, huh? What an excellent defensible place."

The young, clear voice was the last thing Kawamoto Seichiro heard.

Bang!

Yuto's hand gently tapped the sturdy bandit's chest, easily destroying all his internal organs, stopping his heart instantly, leading to immediate death.

The branch family boy pushed the bandit's corpse aside, put on a straw hat, and covered his face.

Then, he held a kunai in each hand and calmly walked deeper into the bandits' lair.

The main peak of Renzan Mountain was the base of these bandits. The person who initially built this hideout must have been quite knowledgeable. It was modeled after an ant nest with main and side routes. Even if attacked by a strong enemy, the bandit leader could escape through underground passages.

That is, if he had time.

Yuto's killing speed was too fast.

After taking out the sentry, he walked only about a hundred meters to reach the lair's gate.

Without any words, the insight of his Byakugan was a lethal weapon on such a snowy night. Three kunai almost simultaneously pierced the guards' heads, slicing off half their skulls without a sound.

Then, the one-sided massacre began.

Inside the warm mountain, the bandits were drinking, laughing, and sharing their recent loot. Each carried the scent of blood, wearing clothes stained red with it. The dried blood was not theirs; in fact, they didn't know whose it was. They burned, killed, and looted daily. Who had the time to remember the poor souls they slaughtered?

Suddenly, the cold wind blew in, and the door was blasted apart. The thick wooden door, reinforced with iron, shattered into splinters.

No bandit saw the attacker. What they saw was a spray of blood.

The attacker was as fast as lightning, clean and ruthless, crushing bandit throats with a single thrust. Bones, tendons, internal organs, muscles... All were useless before the unstoppable force. Limbs were severed, blood flowed like a river.

This world belongs to the shinobi.

The name of the great power is "Chakra"!

Before a Jonin from Konoha, even the strongest bandits were as fragile as tofu.

The wooden splinters danced in the cold wind, and before they hit the ground, the bandits on this level were already dead.

Then, Yuto kicked open the second wooden door.

He was expressionless, cutting through the next level like a nail through tofu, turning it into a bloody hell before moving further down.

The third level, the fourth level, the fifth level...

The killing was so simple. Yuto met no resistance until the final level.

Clang—

Yuto looked up in surprise at the strong man who blocked his strike and was knocked back, "Oh... A shinobi?"

The bandit leader gasped for breath, feeling the pain in his nearly broken wrist, terrified, "Sir! Please spare me! We have already paid taxes to the Land of Frost…"

Huh? Government collusion? Yuto shook his head and moved again, using his Byakugan's insight and his solid physical skills to fight with kunai in close combat.

Due to killing so many, the kunai's blades were jagged like shark teeth.

The bandit leader struggled to defend himself, soon covered in blood.

"Sir! Please spare me…"

"Too disgraceful. A shinobi should charge forward on their chosen path until death. When you led this rabble to burn and kill, you should have anticipated this day... This is the path you chose as a shinobi."

"Sir! No! I... I can still be useful! I stole a lot of money, this money..."

"This money, after you're all dead, is mine." Yuto said calmly, but then he thought of something and smiled:

"Oh... There is one thing you can help with."

Hearing this, the bandit leader was overjoyed, but before he could say anything, his enemy's speed exploded, becoming a blur. The kunai flashed, severing the tendons in the bandit leader's hands and feet.

Then, a glowing white hand slammed into the bandit leader's face.

The next moment, the bandit leader saw nothing.

"Ahhhhh—my eyes! Ahhhh—!"

The pain and fear of blindness overwhelmed him. The bandit leader collapsed, screaming like those he had once tortured.

Amidst the endless fear, the bandit leader faintly heard the voice of his powerful enemy.

The voice was calm and steady, as if chatting with an old friend.

"The muscles around your eyes were cut neatly, but your corneas are damaged, and the fluid inside is leaking... Hmm? As expected of a shinobi, you instinctively covered your eyes with chakra, countering my medical ninjutsu, causing your optic nerves to be completely destroyed..."

"In summary... These eyes are useless."

"My hands are fast, but not steady enough. My chakra control needs more precision."

"But it's okay; this was just practice... There will be many more opportunities in the future."

"The lessons learned from this failure will be applied next time."

Bang!

In an instant, the bandit leader's head flew off, and his eyes were casually discarded.

The bandits were all exterminated.

(End of Chapter)