Chapter 45: Parting is Inevitable, Just Enjoy the Moment

The remaining two ninjas, after swallowing their pills, felt their chakra surge rapidly, though bloodshot veins filled their eyes.

Their expressions also looked pained, as if they were enduring something unbearable.

"Are these pills for unlocking potential?" Saitama observed them carefully.

"Shua!"

The lead ninja lunged at Saitama, his speed greatly increased. A layer of chakra surrounded his body, making him look formidable.

"Peng!" He threw a punch into the ground. Saitama leapt up, dodging the attack.

"Shua!" The other ninja charged toward Saitama, swinging his hammer through the air with a loud whoosh.

"Peng!"

Both warriors had clearly improved—now leagues beyond their former selves in both speed and strength.

"Die!" "Die!"

The hammer-wielding ninja swung like an enraged brown bear, striking tirelessly and without pause.

"Pa!" Dodging the hammer, Saitama caught another enemy's fist mid-air with both hands and slid backward from the impact.

"Damn, this punch was heavy!" Even blocking directly with both hands nearly failed to stop it. Confident in his own power, yet he still got blasted away by one hit?

While sliding back, Saitama's arms entangled with the attacker's arm. Immediately, he poured out his chakra, unleashing Chidori Current. It surged along the arm straight into the enemy's body.

"Zzzt!" Electricity coursed through the enemy—but not even a flicker of pain showed on his face.

"So it seems taking the pill has dulled or completely numbed their sense of pain," Saitama analyzed everything about his enemies while fighting.

"Peng!" The enemy kicked hard. Saitama wrapped his leg in Chidori Current and retaliated with a kick.

Their feet collided. Saitama immediately released the enemy's arm and flew backward faster than before.

"Peng!" Here came the hammer again as the enemy jumped high into the air, slamming down fiercely.

"Damn it!"

Saitama twisted to dodge but still got caught by the shockwave, feeling a heavy pressure across his chest.

This kind of drug usually doesn't last long—I should focus on stalling them. As for Kaiho Tora's situation...

Thinking to himself, Saitama glanced sideways.

Out of the subordinates who had accompanied him from the start, only four remained around Kaiho Tora, and all of them were already injured. Kaiho Tora himself wasn't doing well either—one arm seemed unable to hold his sword anymore.

There were still nearly fifty samurai surrounding them, more than ten times their number.

"This is getting tough!" Saitama realized this was the most critical moment.

[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]

This time, the technique was different. Saitama unleashed several smaller fireballs, each consuming less chakra than usual. This allowed him to distribute his chakra usage across multiple attacks.

The two enemies dodged left and right, avoiding Saitama's jutsu.

Choosing one opponent, Saitama charged forward. That earlier jutsu had been meant to separate the two enemies so he could focus on landing a full combo against one.

The hammer swung toward Saitama. The Pockmarked Man's face revealed purple blood vessels, seemingly ruptured capillaries.

"Boom!"

The hammer crashed heavily onto the ground, missing Saitama by less than ten centimeters.

Saitama stomped down hard on the hammer to keep it from being reclaimed, then closed the distance between them.

"Swish!" A surge of lightning crackled along his hand, slicing across the enemy's cheek and leaving a red gash.

"Die!" Already showing signs of fatigue, the Pockmarked Man lunged into his arms.

"Tearing sound!" Saitama's right hand stabbed forcefully, tearing open a hole in the enemy's right chest. Lightning crackled violently in his palm, accompanied by sharp buzzing.

"Huff!" Even Saitama felt a wave of emptiness wash over him.

"Eh!" The enemy grinned hideously; the wound on his chest apparently didn't signal any sense of impending death.

Releasing the hammer, the Pockmarked Man tightly embraced Saitama with both arms, squeezing fiercely. Caught off guard, Saitama found himself locked in an embrace.

"Ugh!" Now Saitama was the one suffering. Depletion of chakra inside him, physical exhaustion, and the strong hug from the enemy made him feel like he was being choked out.

"Swish!" A kunai stabbed into his back. Saitama suddenly erupted with the remaining chakra within, transforming it into lightning currents wreaking havoc throughout his body.

Nonetheless, the Pockmarked Man behind ignored everything and kept pushing the kunai deeper into Saitama's flesh.

"Phooey!" A metallic taste rose in his throat as blood spewed forth, splattering directly onto the face of the enemy who held him.

"Ahh!" Letting out a loud cry, Saitama's Sharingan spun wildly in his eye socket, as if unlocking a new form.

"Rushing sound!"

A second passed, though it felt much longer to Saitama. A sharp sting shot through his eyes, and the world snapped into hyper-clarity. Inside, new chakra surged forth, keeping his consciousness alert.

"Swish!" With a swift ninja seal, Saitama vanished in a burst of white smoke.

[Substitution Jutsu!]

The wooden log trapped in the enemy's grip splintered into pieces.

"Huff!" Standing in front of the Pockmarked Man, Saitama showed a trace of relief. Yet the three tomoe swirling within his Sharingan gleamed like a trumpet signaling the start of his counterattack.

The awakening of his Sharingan allowed Saitama to move at greater speeds and perceive everything along his path clearly.

With fresh chakra surging within, he immediately used it to its fullest.

"Crackle, crackle!" Chakra stimulated his leg muscles; Saitama wasn't concerned about the aftereffects now.

"Leap!" Bursting forward once more, Saitama charged straight at the enemy.

"Slashing sound!" Using his arm as a blade, his sheer speed turned him into an extraordinary weapon.

Although only slightly coated with lightning, it became a deadly weapon capable of killing.

Slicing a wound across the leader's chest, he then stepped aside swiftly to avoid incoming kunai and came face-to-face with the Pockmarked Ninja.

This opponent, having been pierced through the torso moments ago by Saitama's Chidori, now seemed to feel the fading effects of his medicine, revealing a hint of weakness.

"Slice!" His palm glided across the enemy's throat before Saitama crouched low and created distance.

"Thud!"

Another enemy falls. The evolution of the Sharingan brings more than just a physical change; it's a full upgrade across the board. Thanks to his evolved Sharingan, Saitama dares to try things he once feared—like moving at this insane speed.

Before reaching the three-tomoe stage, this speed was impossible to sustain with just a two-tomoe Sharingan. Before, using such speed meant Saitama couldn't see clearly while moving forward—the eyes just couldn't keep up. Now everything syncs up—speed and sight work in perfect harmony.

Only one enemy remains, but his resistance is meaningless. Saitama easily takes him down. The upgrade of his Sharingan significantly enhances his overall power.

Without paying attention to the lead ninja who was impaled by him and now lies on the ground struggling, Saitama quickly finds his sword and heads toward Kaiho Tora. Though drained from taking down that last ninja, he shows no fear whatsoever.

...

"Kaiho Tora, your life ends here!" With only Kaiho Tora left standing, Sanjoshi faces him, flanked by a ring of loyal samurai.

[Tch!] Kaiho Tora spits out a mouthful of blood, his heart numb with despair. On the other side, Saitama faces an unknown fate while being attacked by three ninjas, while his own situation seems hopeless.

"A commander from the Land of Fire will never bow to you! When I fall, a thousand more shall rise in my place!" Though he tries hard to shout, Kaiho's voice still sounds weak.

[Clap!] Sanjoshi slaps his hands together sharply.

"That's not something for you to decide!"

"Come then, let me see how much courage you've got," Kaiho Tora says, watching Sanjoshi unsheathe his samurai sword.

His body covered in wounds, already past the point of fighting back, simply staying upright is pushing his limit.

[Ahh!] [Ahh!]

Before Sanjoshi can strike, screams of dying men erupt from the back row of samurai.

[Hmm?] A flicker of shock crosses Sanjoshi's face as he turns his gaze toward the source.

"You're still alive?" Sanjoshi sees Saitama cutting through his subordinates like children.

"You call that a challenge?" Saitama sneers, though his battered form tells another story—his back is still seeping blood from a deep wound. Although he used some electricity to temporarily stop the bleeding, blood continues to drip, soaking a large patch of his shirt.

"He's just a spent arrow now!" Sanjoshi may not be a ninja, but he knows what he sees.

"Kill him!"

Sanjoshi retreats backward, shoving those around him toward Saitama.

[Swish!] [Swish!] No chakra, no tricks—just pure Taijutsu. Saitama mows them down effortlessly.

"Saitama!"

Kaiho Tora opens his previously closed eyes, seeing Saitama, and feels a wave of relief wash over him—a second chance at life after facing death.

"Stop him!" Unexpectedly finding Saitama still capable of fighting so effectively, Sanjoshi shouts frantically and quickly steps onto a carriage, seemingly preparing to flee.

The remaining samurai carry out his orders perfectly, even though they know confronting Saitama means almost certain death.

Taking advantage of his subordinates holding off Saitama, Sanjoshi's carriage quickly departs, and Saitama lacks the strength to pursue.

[Phew!] Looking around at the corpses scattered across the ground, Saitama exhales deeply.

The gap between a ninja and an ordinary person is just that big, even if the ninja has run out of chakra, and even if the ordinary person is a trained samurai.

Saitama cut down all the remaining samurai by himself and turned to Kaiho Tora, who was lying on the ground. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! Not going to die anytime soon!" Kaiho Tora remained cheerful despite the situation.

"Lord! Lord!" The man with a thick mustache suddenly appeared from somewhere, shouting as he ran over to Kaiho Tora and supporting his shoulder.

"You idiot! Why don't you help me up already?" Kaiho Tora wasn't angry at Thick Mustache—he couldn't really blame the man, after all. He didn't know any martial arts at all, so it was only natural for him to hide during a scene like this.

"Yes! Yes!" The man with a thick mustache hurriedly replied, grabbing Kaiho Tora's uninjured arm and helping him back to his feet.

"Hss!" Kaiho Tora sucked in a sharp breath as his wounds were jostled.

"Still heading to the Capital City?" Saitama asked.

"Why wouldn't we go? When we reach the Capital City, Sanjoshi won't have free rein anymore," Kaiho Tora insisted.

"Do as you please, but I need to rest first," said Saitama. He couldn't understand why Kaiho Tora still wanted to head to the Capital City in his current state—what did he have up his sleeve?

Whatever his plan was, Saitama needed to recover some energy first. After all, your life is safest when you hold it in your own hands.

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