Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Mundo!!! Go Wherever You Want
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Rinjin's ambush on C was instantly engulfed by a barrage of oncoming jutsu.
Just as A and B's faces lit up with joy—
"Poof!" A soft sound echoed.
The heavily struck Rinjin dissolved into a puff of white smoke, vanishing rapidly.
Seeing this, A's pupils shrank to the size of needlepoints, and he cried out in alarm.
"Damn it! A shadow clone! Be on alert immediately!"
Speaking at breakneck speed, A's gaze swiftly swept over B and C, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Sure enough, when his eyes landed on C, his heart turned ice-cold.
C stood at the spot where Rinjin had been struck by *Lightning Release: False Darkness*. The substitution log on the ground had long since disappeared.
In its place was a blood-soaked arm.
This not-so-sturdy arm protruded from C's chest, its bloodied hand gripping a still-beating heart.
At that moment, C's face froze, blood streaming incessantly from the corners of his mouth.
Slowly lowering his head, C saw his own heart—the organ that was so vital to him.
The night deepened.
For the first time, the bright moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting its cold light over the now-silent battlefield.
Through the treetops and leaves, the moonlight illuminated Rinjin's face behind C—a face adorned with a chilling, murderous smirk.
"Stop!" A desperate roar echoed through the forest.
"Too late!"
Unmoved, Rinjin lightly clenched his hand, crushing the still-beating heart into a bloody pulp right before A and B's eyes.
From a distance, at the edge of the battlefield, Tsunade lay helplessly on her side. Her tilted head took in the entire scene, and her chest felt as though a heavy stone was pressing down on it, leaving her breathless.
She had never witnessed such a brutal scene before. Or rather, as a student still attending the Ninja Academy, she had never had the chance to encounter such bloodshed.
Yet, strangely, for Rinjin—the mastermind behind this cruel display—Tsunade felt no hatred.
Gradually, she began to agree with Hiruzen Sarutobi's words. She found herself pitying Rinjin.
What kind of reality could force a boy under ten years old to harden his heart like steel?
What kind of reality could make Rinjin crush a human heart without batting an eye?
Cruelty is not innate. It is only when the world inflicts pain upon someone that they respond with cold indifference.
At that moment, Tsunade suddenly, desperately wanted to understand Rinjin's past—all the details of his life until now.
"Sakuhō Rinjin, if only you were a comrade of the village, how great that would be!"
On the battlefield, C's lifeless body slowly collapsed, just like Tsunade, who was paralyzed by the electric shock. The difference was that C had lost the right to breathe.
He was dead—irreversibly so—because his heart had already turned into a pile of flesh, scattered across the ground.
"Die! You must die! I'll crush every bone in your body! Die!"
Looking at the lifeless C, A's cold demeanor vanished entirely, replaced by boundless rage.
On the other hand, B's expression was even more deranged.
"Die! *Wind Release: Wind Cutter Jutsu!*" B frantically formed hand seals, his hands moving so fast they became a blur.
In an instant, a rapidly spinning air current shot toward Rinjin.
Rinjin sneered and vanished from his spot, his mind constantly analyzing the situation.
He had suspected earlier that the three looked alike. Now that C was dead, and these two reacted so strongly, it was clear—they were brothers.
Perfect. Lose control. Exhaust your chakra to the last drop. When you're drained, I'll finish you two fools off.
Jutsu erupted, wild winds raged, flames surged, and the earth trembled.
Momentarily abandoning his offense, Rinjin moved like an agile monkey, leaping and darting among the trees.
Before long, the entire battlefield was reduced to a barren plain by the relentless onslaught of jutsu.
"Damn it! Stop running!"
A, no longer calm, clapped his hands together violently, his expression contorting with fury.
It was clear that he was going all out.
"*Earth Release: Earth Flow River!* Ha!"
In an instant, the entire battlefield churned with yellow mud, the ground becoming sticky and soft.
Rinjin leaped into the air, frowning as he looked down at the slow-moving mud below.
"Damn it, this is tricky!"
On the other side, B continued forming seals, his chest swelling.
"*Fire Release: Head Mincing Jutsu!*"
"*Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!*"
The wind fed the flames, and a roaring inferno instantly engulfed the sky.
Seeing no way to dodge, Rinjin quickly formed a seal.
"*Shadow Clone Jutsu!*"
With a puff of white smoke, a shadow clone appeared beneath Rinjin.
Seizing the opportunity, he pushed off the clone with a powerful kick, propelling himself higher into the air and narrowly avoiding the combined jutsu.
"Bastard!"
Seeing Rinjin evade even this trump card, the already unhinged B became even more hysterical.
His chakra was nearly depleted, but Rinjin remained as lively as ever, darting left and right with his injured left arm, slippery as an eel.
Scanning the battlefield quickly, B spotted Tsunade trapped at the edge. A cruel smile spread across his face.
"Big brother, hold him off. I'll be right back!" Speaking at lightning speed, he glanced at Tsunade.
A, his bloodshot eyes glinting with understanding, grinned just as cruelly.
With a burst of speed, B rushed to the edge of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, A unleashed a relentless barrage of *Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullets.*
Rinjin had no choice but to pull out his massive sword and hold it in front of him, but the earth bullets pushed him farther and farther away.
Because of the muddy ground, Rinjin had lost his greatest advantage—speed.
Without speed, he could only summon shadow clones repeatedly to forcibly change his trajectory in mid-air.
At this moment, B had already reached Tsunade. His face twisted with cruelty as he looked at the helpless girl.
Seeing B pull out the iron rod pinning her to the ground and approach step by step, Tsunade's heart grew increasingly anxious.
Her body was still paralyzed, unable to move a muscle.
Closer!
B stood before Tsunade, slowly drawing a meter-long ninja blade from his back. He placed it against her neck, turning to look at Rinjin with a face full of malice and delight.
"Brat! You chased us all the way here alone. Looks like you've got a thing for this chick, huh?"
Hearing this, Rinjin instantly grew anxious.
No, man, let's talk this out!
If you kill Tsunade, I'm really screwed—mud on my pants, whether it's shit or not, it's shit!
As he mulled it over, Rinjin summoned another shadow clone, using it as a springboard to dodge a wave of shuriken.
"Stop dodging! Or I'll cut off this chick's leg first!"
B roared hysterically, his blade poised to slice Tsunade's leg.
At that moment, Tsunade's heart was filled with despair. Taking a deep breath, she mustered all her remaining strength and shouted at Rinjin.
"Run! You're not from Konoha. You don't need to save me. Just run!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke.
Hearing this, B whipped around, his face full of malice, and kicked Tsunade in the face.
The girl's delicate, pretty face instantly swelled up.
Seeing this, Rinjin's expression turned icy cold.
Landing softly, his feet sank into the slippery mud as his icy gaze locked onto B in the distance.
B stared back fearlessly, his lips curling into a smug, dangerous grin, clearly confident he had Rinjin cornered.
Meanwhile, A seized the moment to hurl a kunai.
"Clang!" With his feet stuck in the ground, Rinjin instinctively swung his massive sword, deflecting the kunai.
Seeing this, A's eyes burned with fury.
"Damn brat, how dare you block that? B, teach him a lesson—scar the hostage's face!"
B paused, then his eyes lit up with excitement. He raised his blade, ready to act.
Tsunade, however, had completely lost hope.
She didn't want to die, nor did she want to be disfigured.
But even so, she bit her lip hard, refusing to make a sound.
She was afraid—afraid she wouldn't be able to resist calling out to Rinjin for help, afraid this boy would recklessly try to save her.
If she could, she wished Rinjin would just leave.
After all, if he died, the little bit of fragile bonds he was protecting would be gone too.
The blade rose high, ready to strike.
Rinjin's grim face suddenly broke into a grin, his eyes flashing with a sharp, blinding light.
"Throw it!"
With a loud shout, the shadow clone Rinjin had prepared earlier appeared at the edge of the battlefield, not far from Tsunade.
At that moment, the clone raised its arm and hurled a rectangular, brick-like object with all its might.
On the brick, messy handwriting read: "Mundo!!! Go Wherever You Want!"
"Now!" Rinjin shouted.
"*Flying Raijin Jutsu!*"
Just as the blade was about to fall, the brick appeared precisely between it and Tsunade.
At that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Rinjin appeared on top of Tsunade with perfect accuracy, using the massive sword strapped to his back to block the strike. But both his arms were left behind in the process.
B, who had long lost his sanity, couldn't take Rinjin's repeated tricks anymore. He snatched Rinjin's massive sword and swung it again.
"Slash!"
Blood sprayed as a deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on Rinjin's back.
Unable to hold it in, Rinjin spat blood all over Tsunade's face.
Their eyes met. Rinjin's blood-streaked teeth formed a bitter smile as he said, "If you die, nothing will ever be explained!"