From Danmachi to God of Ninja

Chapter 66: Chapter 66

"Kiriya-kun is in danger! Move!"

Might Duy shouted and immediately rushed back.

The lazy, relaxed atmosphere among the others vanished instantly.

Every one of them burst forward with all the strength they had left, charging toward the source of the roar.

Their savior was in danger.

They had to do something!

"Wait a second," the shinobi with the small tuft of beard on his chin said while running. "The one fighting that gloomy bandaged woman earlier was also Kiriya-sama, right? Does that mean... the one who was holding off the jinchūriki this whole time... was only his clone?"

The moment those words came out, everyone fell silent.

Some of the shinobi even felt tears gathering in their eyes.

Once again, they had the painful feeling that they had spent all these years living like dogs.

At Kiriya’s age, he could use just one clone to hold off a fully active jinchūriki for that long.

And while part of his strength was split off, his main body had still crushed a large group of elite chūnin and jōnin with absolute dominance.

How the hell did he even do that?

Did he start training in his mother’s womb?

"No point talking about it now," the plump middle-aged shinobi said in a low voice. "After unleashing such a powerful attack earlier, Kiriya-sama must have used up a lot of strength. Facing a berserk jinchūriki right now... that’s still dangerous. We have to support him. At the very least, we can help restrain that thing."

Everyone nodded, their faces filled with resolve.

Even if the enemy ahead was a feared jinchūriki, even if they had to face a Tailed Beast-like monster, none of them backed down.

Their lives had already been saved by Kiriya.

Risking them once for their saviour was nothing.

As for life and death.. That was normal business for shinobi.

For a moment, the entire group was filled with grim determination.

Until they arrived at the scene.

And froze at what they saw.

...

A minute earlier.

While Might Duy and the others rushed off to chase down the remnants of the Kirigakure force, Kiriya had not been idle either.

He was checking the bodies one by one.

If he found someone still breathing, he gave them another cut, kindly helping them bring their painful lingering existence to a clean end.

So far, the results were excellent.

Their emotions were all very stable, and their expressions when they left this world were peaceful.

Soon, Kiriya arrived in front of Mei Terumi.

Looking at her face, dusty but still unable to hide its delicate beauty, he felt a little regretful.

"What a shame. If this were around the time the actual plot started, I might’ve flirted with you a little. Unfortunately, this is a battlefield. Looks like you’ll have to leave this world single."

Then he paused.

"Wait, no. I think you’re still single in your forties too."

At that thought, Kiriya’s expression grew even stranger.

"In that case, maybe ending it early is kinder. At least you won’t have to stay single for forty years."

As he spoke, he raised his sword toward Mei’s chest.

Mei was already badly injured. When she sensed Kiriya approaching, she carefully restrained her breathing and tried to gather her strength, planning to ambush him at the last second.

But after walking over, this bastard just kept talking.

And every single word was about her being single.

He even made it sound as if she would stay single her entire life!

Some insults could be endured.

This one could not!

Mei was still a young girl in the bloom of youth.

She still had strong hopes for love and marriage.

Since long ago, she had imagined what kind of romantic, beautiful wedding she would have, what kind of loving soulmate she would meet...

And now, all those beautiful fantasies had been crushed under Kiriya’s devilish muttering.

"You’re the one who’s single! Your whole damn family is single!"

Mei suddenly opened her eyes and cursed at Kiriya with everything she had.

Even though the outburst pulled at her injuries and made blood spill heavily from the corner of her mouth, she did not care.

This concerned her lifelong happiness.

No matter what, she had to win back at least one round.

At the very least, she had to win in attitude.

Ao was actually still conscious too.

The reason he had been lying still was the same as Mei—he had planned to wait for an opening and launch a surprise attack.

He never expected that before Kiriya could even do much, Mei would lose control and expose herself first.

Ao went numb.

’Mei, even if you’re angry, can’t you hold it in for a little longer? Wouldn’t killing him be a much better way to vent?’

Ao was completely helpless against this emotional teammate.

"Well, seeing Miss Terumi with this much energy puts me at ease."

Hearing Mei’s vicious curse, Kiriya only froze for a moment before ignoring it.

The sword in his hand continued stabbing toward her heart.

Whoosh!

At that instant, a shrill whistle approached from the distance, moving at terrifying speed.

Kiriya felt a sharp sting between his brows. Without even thinking, he dodged away.

Boom!

A black shadow passed through the spot where Kiriya had just stood.

In the blink of an eye, it crossed several hundred meters and struck the ground, causing a violent explosion.

The energy aftershock spread outward like an upside-down red bowl, expanding rapidly.

Everything it touched was erased!

"Tailed Beast Ball?"

Kiriya sucked in a breath and turned toward the orange-red figure charging from afar.

It was Kusui.

"Brat, come here and die!"

Kusui roared and slammed toward him like a cannonball.

No wonder she was this furious.

Earlier, after seeing Kiriya’s strength, she had assumed he would be an enjoyable toy and had been ready to play with him properly.

Instead, the moment she rushed in, she became the one getting played with.

As soon as the fight started, that eight-meter-tall wooden giant pinned her to the ground and beat her brutally.

Kusui had nearly choked on her frustration.

She finally took advantage of his poor stamina and depleted chakra to turn the tables, launching a savage counterattack against Kiriya and his wooden giant.

She smashed his body apart, and the feeling had been incredibly satisfying.

Then she discovered that what she had defeated was only a Wood Clone.

She, Kusui, a proud jinchūriki and a strategic weapon of the village, had been pinned down and beaten for several minutes by a brat’s Wood Clone.

If that got out, half the shinobi world would laugh themselves sick, and Kusui’s name would be nailed to the wall of shame forever.

So after smashing the Wood Clone to pieces, Kusui rushed back at full speed.

The moment she arrived, she saw what looked like Chang Wei beating Laifu...

No, wait.

She saw Kiriya "digging into" Mei Terumi’s heart!

Without thinking, she entered partial Tailed Beast Transformation and greeted him with a small Tailed Beast Ball.

It was a pity it missed, but Kusui was not discouraged.

If this bastard died that easily, she would have been disappointed.

Strong was good.

Only a strong opponent could let her vent for longer!

With that thought, Kusui’s charge became even more violent.

While she was still in midair, the Tailed Beast chakra around her had already begun corroding the air with a sizzling sound.

Kiriya did not dare be careless.

A thick layer of wooden armor quickly covered his body.

The armor was created through Forest of All Things.

Unlike ordinary Wood Release, it was not bulky or stiff.

Instead, it had excellent flexibility and extension, so it did not hinder his movements at all.

More importantly, its defensive power was solid.

Against Tailed Beast chakra in particular, it had a surprisingly effective result.

Whoosh!

Kiriya swung his sword down, aiming straight for Kusui’s throat.

Clang!