The situation shifted abruptly. The bandits who had hijacked the convoy were now besieged by four Konoha ninjas. What was originally a group of more than a dozen bandits had been reduced to just four in a matter of seconds.
The bandit leader quickly recognized the strength of Uchiha Itachi and Nohara Rin. To have eliminated most of his subordinates so swiftly was no feat that ordinary ninjas could accomplish.
"That woman and that brat are at least Chunin-level ninjas!"
"No, it might be more than that. Some of my subordinates were Chunin, and they were taken out just as easily."
"They must be at the Jonin level!"
"With those two in front of me, I've really run into trouble this time!"
The bandit leader eyed Uchiha Itachi and the others, contemplating his next move. After a quick comparison of their strengths, he considered retreating. Konoha ninjas were well known across the ninja world for their exceptional abilities, and the Uchiha clan's reputation was even more formidable.
The two pairs of Sharingan—Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Obito—placed immense pressure on him.
"Obito, Itachi, Rin, let's do it!" Hatake Kakashi shouted, drawing the short sword from his back.
At his command, Obito and Itachi formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Fire Bomb!"
Two roaring pillars of fire, one from the front and one from behind, surged toward the four remaining bandits, engulfing them in flames. However, at that moment, four stone spikes suddenly shot through the sea of fire, hurtling toward Uchiha Itachi and the others at high speed.
"Scatter!" Uchiha Itachi was the first to react, leaping away with a sharp warning. Obito and Kakashi also evaded in time. Rin, however, found herself facing the incoming stone spikes with a serious expression.
"Killing these lowly bandits... there's no need to hold back!"
Harano Rin, clearly enraged by the bandits' ruthlessness, brought her hands together. A surge of powerful chakra erupted from her body, forming a red cloak of energy around her. Raising her hand, she caught the flying stone spike directly.
Boom!
With a loud impact, Rin caught the stone spike, redirecting its trajectory. It buried itself deep into the ground at her feet.
Boom!
The ground beneath Rin cracked from the sheer force. Without hesitation, she launched herself in the direction the attack had come from.
Now enveloped in the tailed beast cloak, Rin's enhanced perception allowed her to detect that Obito and Itachi's Fire Style attacks had failed to eliminate all the bandits. She resolved to finish the job herself.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Despite forming only a dozen hand seals, Rin executed two ninjutsu of completely different elements in rapid succession.
The force of Wind Style wrapped around the Water Style's impact, surging toward the remaining bandits like an unstoppable tide.
The bandit leader, who had just managed to dispel the flames, felt his heart sink at the sight of the oncoming water attack.
"Damn it!"
One second, he was facing a devastating Fire Style attack. The next, an even stronger combination of Water and Wind Style ninjutsu was bearing down on him. His already foul mood worsened.
"Earth Style—" Just as the bandit leader was about to form hand seals, he caught sight of his terrified subordinates from the corner of his eye. A plan immediately formed in his mind.
Shouting "Earth Style!" as a distraction, he grabbed two of his subordinates and hurled them straight into the oncoming flood.
"Boss?!"
"Leader!"
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
The two bandits screamed in shock as they were instantly swallowed by the raging current. Though both were physically strong, they had been betrayed by their own leader.
Rin's expression shifted slightly at the sight, but she quickly regained her focus and maintained the ninjutsu. However, an unexpected change occurred.
From within the torrent released by Rin, two ferocious roars echoed.
"Roar!!!!"
"Roar!!!!"
As the roars rang out, a strange and powerful chakra erupted from the water. The previously violent waves began to calm, losing their destructive force before reaching the bandit leader.
Realizing this, the bandit leader shot a glance at his last remaining subordinate.
The subordinate, sensing his leader's gaze, instinctively took a step back.
"Hmph!" The bandit leader snorted softly before turning his attention to the two figures emerging from the receding water.
At that moment, the two bandits radiated an overwhelming aura. Their skin was covered in eerie, black curse marks, and their once-clear eyes had transformed into hollow, predatory pupils. They were no longer in control of themselves.
"What is that...?" Kakashi, Obito, and Itachi regrouped around Rin, their expressions turning grim as they studied the two transformed bandits.
Through his Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi could see the immense chakra surging within them. The strange curse marks covering their bodies stood out.
A curse seal... enormous chakra... Itachi quickly made the connection.
"It must be the curse seal."
"That chakra doesn't belong to them."
Itachi's quiet warning was filled with tension as he braced himself for battle.
"No matter what it is, we'll take them down!"
Lightning crackled around Kakashi's hand as he formed Chidori once again. Without hesitation, he charged at the two cursed bandits, his body surrounded by faint arcs of lightning—his Lightning Armor technique.
With enhanced speed, Kakashi became a streak of light, closing the distance in an instant. His Chidori pierced through one bandit's heart before the other could react. Without missing a beat, he released his short sword and sent it flying toward the second enemy.
"Chidori Flying Blade!"
Infused with powerful lightning chakra, Kakashi's dagger struck true, piercing the second bandit's heart. Both cursed bandits collapsed, lifeless.
Seeing this, the bandit leader's face twitched violently. Without hesitation, he turned and ran.
But before he could take more than a few steps, his body froze.
A red-haired young man had appeared beside him without a sound. A pale hand rested lightly on his shoulder.
"Hey there, no need to rush."
"I'm suddenly interested in you... mind sticking around for a chat?"
The bandit leader shivered as the hoarse voice of Uzumaki Raiden whispered in his ear. At the same time, dark curse marks spread from Raiden's palm, rapidly covering the bandit leader's entire body.
(End of this chapter)