Naruto Card King

Murder! Haruto Saito was going to kill Inoi!

After analyzing and assessing the situation, Haruto had determined that Inoi's combat prowess was likely not as formidable as his reputation suggested. A sensory ninja's primary skill lay in perception, not in direct combat.

If Inoi was not an exceptional elite jōnin but merely an ordinary elite jōnin, similar to Saki, the elite jōnin from Sunagakure whom Haruto had encountered before, then Haruto had a real chance to kill him!

He could go all out—Haruto was not afraid of getting injured!

And such a desperate attack was absolutely worth it. If he could kill Inoi, or at the very least severely wound him and disable his sensory abilities, then escaping from this place would become significantly easier.

A pitch-black mist appeared behind Inoi, followed by the sudden flash of a blade.

At that very moment, Inoi's eyes snapped open. His hand brushed against his waist as he drew his katana, turning swiftly to meet the attack!

Boom—

The katana clashed with the Blade of Heavy Mountain, sending sparks flying. The impact resounded like thunder, and a tangible shockwave burst outward from the point of collision, rippling through the surroundings. Inoi was sent flying!

There was hope!

Haruto was thrilled—Inoi was indeed not as strong as expected. Though his combat level was still at the elite jōnin tier, his reaction speed and counterattacks during the ambush suggested he was only at the level of an average elite jōnin with around eight to nine thousand points of reputation.

In other words, a run-of-the-mill elite jōnin!

"Well played!" Instead of anger, Inoi grinned as he was flung through the air. He twisted his body mid-flight, attempting to regain control.

Haruto didn't give him the chance.

He turned into black smoke, flickering behind Inoi, and slashed again with brutal force!

Boom—

Inoi blocked the attack once more but was sent flying again.

"The Black Samurai! You really are the Black Samurai!" Inoi shouted excitedly, as if he had just confirmed something thrilling.

Haruto once again transformed into black smoke, this time appearing above Inoi. Activating his samurai techniques, enhancing his raw strength, and unleashing the Blade of Heavy Mountain's doubled attack power—Haruto struck with full force! Ever since he had used the card he obtained from Kyōgoku Hyūga, his strength had already reached a new peak. Now, unleashing his full might, this strike carried an unimaginably terrifying power!

Inoi apparently lacked any unique instantaneous body flicker techniques. Facing this attack, he could only choose to block once again.

Boom—

For the third time, he was sent crashing down like a meteor, slamming into the ground below.

His expression finally changed—this situation had exceeded his expectations. When he had first been ambushed, he thought the situation wasn't too dire. He knew he wasn't adept at direct combat. The various unique abilities he had mastered were all related to sensory perception, and his combat skills were rather standard. However, he had assumed that as long as he could stall for time, reinforcements would soon arrive.

But after enduring Haruto's third strike, he realized he was wrong.

How could the Black Samurai wield such terrifying strength?

Wasn't the Black Samurai supposed to rely on his ghost-like flickering ability and his eerie assassination techniques to fight?

Haruto was indeed able to move unpredictably, but his attacks were anything but tricky. Instead, they were grand, forceful, and overwhelming, as if sheer strength alone could break through all defenses.

Inoi, as a sensory ninja, wasn't afraid of unconventional assassination techniques. No matter how unpredictable an attack was, he could sense the changes in the air and the flow of the wind to anticipate and defend against it accurately.

A sensory ninja's passive reaction awareness was extraordinarily sharp.

But now, after taking three direct blows from Haruto, his arms had gone numb.

Boom!

Inoi crashed into the ground, sending mud and water splattering everywhere. However, he was unharmed—his legs had bent upon landing to absorb the impact. Though the ground had caved in beneath him, he had avoided injury.

Haruto, still mid-air at a height of more than ten meters, suddenly dropped down to continue the assault!

Since he hadn't used Black Mist Flicker this time, Inoi had a brief moment to react. He twisted his waist and flung more than ten kunai at Haruto. Normally, when a ninja encountered such an attack, they would dodge—otherwise, even if they survived, they'd be seriously wounded.

But Haruto didn't dodge!

Inoi watched in disbelief as Haruto merely tilted his head slightly, evading the kunai aimed at his forehead while allowing four others to strike his abdomen, chest, shoulder, and ribs…

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

All four kunai bounced off!

Haruto didn't even pause—he charged forward with his blade raised for another strike!

Boom—

Inoi fell to his knees, katana raised in a desperate defense. The ground beneath him shattered into a web of cracks. His arms, gripping his weapon tightly, were trembling. He had barely managed to react in time after throwing the kunai, but Haruto's refusal to dodge and his sheer brute force had completely thrown him off.

If he weren't a sensory ninja with extraordinary reaction speeds, he might have been split in half by that strike.

Even so, his hands were now bleeding profusely. Haruto's attack not only carried his innate strength and skills but also the additional force from his mid-air descent. That was why he hadn't bothered dodging the kunai—he had already prepared to take damage in order to land that one devastating blow.

He was determined to deliver this strike!

"Die!" Haruto roared, swinging his blade down once more, but this time, he only struck the ground.

Inoi had dodged in a clumsy roll, narrowly escaping the attack. He clearly lacked refined sword techniques—otherwise, he would have counterattacked instead of scrambling away.

Haruto lunged after him, slashing down in pursuit.

Inoi planted his feet firmly and propelled himself diagonally away, now covered in mud and looking utterly miserable. Fear filled his eyes—he could barely hold onto his sword anymore! After taking four of Haruto's strikes, his hands were drenched in blood.

Haruto vanished into black smoke and reappeared at Inoi's side, his blade swinging in a diagonal arc.

He couldn't allow Inoi to create distance. No matter what, Inoi was still an elite jōnin. If he got far enough away, he could use high-level ninjutsu, making the battle far more troublesome.

Inoi had no way to dodge this strike—unless he could instantaneously teleport, he simply didn't have the time to form hand seals. He could only attempt to block once again!

Clang! Slash—

Inoi finally lost his grip—his katana was sent flying. Haruto's blade didn't slice him in half but instead severed his right arm, sending it spinning away.

Inoi was finished!

A ninja who lost an arm was as good as crippled—hand seals required both hands.

"Aaaah!" Inoi screamed in agony, tumbling into the mud. Desperately, he struggled to get up and run.

But Haruto suddenly stopped. He didn't immediately deliver the killing blow. Instead, he swiftly pulled a Double Drop Rate Card from his inventory and consumed it before dashing toward Inoi and raising his Blade of Heavy Mountain!

"Bastard!" Inoi roared, flinging a handful of kunai behind him.

Haruto's eyes widened—each kunai was attached to chakra-infused explosive tags. Despite the rain, they remained active. He couldn't take this head-on.

Turning into black smoke, Haruto flickered in front of Inoi, his blade flashing like lightning.

Slash!

With a single stroke, Inoi's head flew off his shoulders, and golden light erupted from his body as more than thirty cards scattered into the air.

"Ding! Host has successfully defeated an opponent above their rank. Reward: One B-Rank Ninjutsu Random Card."