Even the commanding Jōnin didn't expect this outcome.
"Could it be that at that speed, there's no chance to even slightly adjust direction? Indeed, speed is not always an advantage, but a weakness…" A thought flashed through his mind.
But before he could even process it fully, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, the bloodstained trail of a human-shaped figure, left behind by the high-speed wind blades, began to reverse course and flew back toward the silver light. Not a single drop of blood hit the ground!
All of the blood that had spilled out from the cuts caused by the wind blades returned to the silver light, which did not hesitate for a moment and swiftly shot toward the closest cluster of people.
Like a streak of silver lightning!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In an instant, more than ten sand ninjas froze in place, and their bodies exploded into pieces, showering the area with blood.
"Impossible!!"
"What is happening?!"
Nearby sand ninjas were horrified, unable to react in time. Some gripped kunai, trying to defend themselves from the silver streak, but they couldn't even track its movement.
The Jōnin commanding the unit also experienced a drastic change in expression. This was something he hadn't anticipated at all, being sliced apart by wind blades and still recovering?!
It wasn't that the enemy couldn't adjust their direction due to speed!
"Quick!" he shouted.
"Fourth and Fifth Teams! Block his path!"
"Second team, provide support!"
In a panic, he drew his sword and, with his gaze fixed on the silver streak cutting through the battlefield, tried to help.
At his command, some of the sand ninjas, still in shock, barely managed to regroup. They unleashed another large-scale wind jutsu to block the path of the silver light.
Yet, the silver light didn't dodge.
Once again, it charged directly through the wind blades, disregarding the damage. With the Kusanagi sword crackling with lightning, it cleaved through over ten sand ninjas, leaving them lifeless.
"Don't panic!"
"Barrier! Barrier!!"
Seeing the sand ninja team descend into total chaos, the Jōnin's face was grim. He screamed commands, but his voice shook with uncertainty.
Some sand ninjas attempted to erect barriers to stop the silver streak, but having faced it before, the silver figure easily avoided the barriers. They posed no threat; at most, they would delay him for a brief moment, but now, the goal was to kill, not get trapped.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The barriers failed again, and over ten more ninjas fell to the Kusanagi.
By now, the sand ninjas were in complete disarray.
Fear and horror spread across their faces.
These were the elite of the Sand Village, not afraid of battle, even when outnumbered. Yet, facing an enemy they couldn't even see coming, an enemy who killed before they knew they were even in danger, they were terrified!
It was all about killing before anything could be done!
Since the silver light rushed into the crowd, more than half of the elite ninjas were dead in less than a few moments. No matter how fast the ninjas reacted, they couldn't withstand a single round of combat. The silver flash appeared, tore them apart, and left no room for resistance. It was an impossible fight!
"Damn..."
"We can't hold him off..." The Jōnin, watching the chaos unfold, grit his teeth and gazed at the silver light with growing anger and panic. He realized that this mission was lost.
Continuing the fight would only increase their losses.
"Retreat!" he finally shouted.
The command to retreat was a difficult one, as this mission was crucial, one that could decide the fate of the village. Yet, the speed of the enemy's slaughter had already claimed nearly ten more lives in just a few seconds.
"Finally starting to run..."
Kaede narrowed his eyes at the retreating sand ninjas.
His clothes were completely shredded from earlier, and despite the silver light surrounding him, his speed left no time for anyone to truly track his movements. But he wasn't letting anyone escape.
The earlier killings hadn't been anything special, but now the real challenge began. Once the sand ninjas scattered in different directions, even with his speed, it would be difficult to annihilate them all.
However, due to the inherent thinking patterns of ninjas, the disordered sand ninjas didn't choose the best course of action immediately. Instead, they instinctively grouped together, heading in one direction to escape.
This was precisely what Kaede had been hoping for.
Without hesitation, he charged into the crowd again. His sword flashed, and within a mere ten seconds, another ten sand ninjas fell to his Kusanagi.
"Split up and retreat!"
"Don't go in one direction!"
The sand ninjas finally realized the gravity of the situation and started dispersing in all directions.
But by then, over eighty sand ninjas had already fallen. Only around twenty remained, and the sharp reduction in numbers made it much easier for Kaede to hunt them down.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The silver light danced through the rain.
The number of sand ninjas continued to plummet.
Five left...
Four...
Three...
Finally...
After pursuing them for about two kilometers, Kaede caught up to the last sand ninja. His Kusanagi sword pierced through the ninja's chest without mercy.
"You... demon..."
The sand ninja, his eyes wide with terror, managed to utter a single word before his consciousness faded away.
Kaede pulled his sword out and looked down at the body that fell into the rain-soaked ground, shaking his head.
"A demon?"
"No."
"I'm just a human trying to survive until the very end."
With those words, Kaede turned and glanced back at the battlefield behind him. Even from a distance, he could barely make out the land, now soaked in blood.
A sea of corpses.
Blood flowing like a river.
It was a scene that resembled hell itself.
------------
Note: If you want to read up to 55+ chapters ahead of the current story, you can support me on Patreon and read up to Chapter 136 there! Patreon.com/Veltoria