Naganosuke looked at Atachi with resentment and fear as she inflicted a fatal wound on him without any hesitation.
He felt a large amount of blood gushing out from the wound in his throat, and some blood splashed onto Ating's face and hair.
Even though most of his face was covered in blood, Ating's expression and eyes remained firm.
Please die completely for me soon—Amachi's eyes silently expressed these words to Naganosuke.
The degree of loss of physical strength is directly proportional to the degree of blood loss.
In the blink of an eye, Naganosuke no longer had the strength to lift a finger.
The vision in front of me began to dim.
Past memories flashed through my mind.
I have been undergoing strict ninja training since I can remember...
Because of his intelligence, he was nicknamed "Iga Star". In terms of talent, among the younger generation, he was second only to that woman...
He is extremely talented, so he looks down on his peers and doesn't want to partner with these idiots, so he likes to be alone...
I, who was called the "rising star", actually failed like this...?
Moreover, the defeat was so humiliating that even one move of his was taken away by someone else...
This shouldn’t be the case…
As the "Star of Iga", how could I lose to a female ninja?
Impossible, how could I lose to a mere female ninja——Naganosuke wanted to yell like this, but because his throat was pierced, he could only utter unknown syllables such as “ho ho ho”.
The chest cavity rose and fell violently for a while as if it were a last gasp, and then stopped moving.
Naganosuke's eyes, which had lost all their luster, were wide open.
Even when he stopped breathing, Naganosuke's eyes were still filled with confusion and unwillingness.
His lifeless eyes looked up at the sky, as if he was asking the gods in the sky: Why? Why did I lose?
…
…
"Hahaha……"
At this moment, Ating felt as if his body was hollowed out.
This is a common phenomenon that occurs when tense nerves are relaxed all at once.
After her tense nerves relaxed, Ating realized that the clothes on the back of her body were wet with her cold sweat.
Feeling her legs going weak and unable to even stand steadily, Atachi pulled out the kunai that had pierced Naganosuke's throat, and then, ignoring the dust on the ground, she sat down on her butt.
"That was... a close call just now..." Atachi murmured as she wiped the blood that had spurted out of Naganosuke's throat and splashed onto her face.
She just won by a very narrow margin.
Naganosuke is very strong - judging from the fact that he was able to catch up with Atachi without blushing or breathing hard, his physical fitness alone is far superior to Atachi's.
Knowing that he would not be able to confront Naganosuke head-on when Su Ying was gone and Fei Ying could not be used, A-Machi decided to take a gamble.
Just bet this guy is a cocky person.
Just bet that this guy will underestimate her and be careless.
She pretended to surrender first to further paralyze the guy, and then when he got closer and within the range of her kicking feet, she used her toes to hold the kunai and sneak attack his face.
If we can kill him with one strike, that would be the best. If we can't kill him with one strike, then at least we have to blind his eyes.
After the sneak attack is successful, pick up the wakizashi on the ground or pull out the other two kunai hidden on your body and give him another stab.
The above is the battle plan that Ating came up with urgently after realizing that he could not confront this person head-on.
There are two major difficulties in this battle plan.
The first major difficulty is that Naganosuke must be careless and underestimate the enemy, underestimate Atachi, or at least not focus on Atachi's feet.
The second biggest difficulty is whether A-Machi can let the kunai fall smoothly to her feet and then accurately clamp it with her toes.
A-Machi had never tried this tactic of "grabbing the kunai with toes and attacking the enemy by surprise" before. In fact, A-Machi had no idea whether he could successfully grab the kunai with his toes, and he was just taking a gamble.
As for kicking Nakanosuke in the face, that wasn't difficult for Atachi.
Her body was originally a type of body that was naturally very flexible, and Shiranui-style jutsu happened to be her strong point.
When they practiced horse riding together, taking turns on each other, the thing Ogata said to her most often was: Atachi, your body is so flexible.
If any of the above two difficulties goes wrong, then Ating's battle plan will end in failure.
That's why Ating said "that was a close call", and that's why the back of her clothes was wet with cold sweat.
After regaining some strength, Atachi stood up and took back her wakizashi, kunai and other weapons one by one.
As he put his weapon away, Atachi kept looking up at Naganosuke's body. He thought to himself:
——This person’s clothes… look so familiar… where have I seen them before…
Just now, when Atachi saw Naganosuke for the first time, he felt that the clothes he was wearing looked quite familiar.
I always feel like I've seen clothes like this before.
But for a moment, I couldn't remember when I had seen this dress before.
When he took back all the wakizashi and kunai and was about to pick up Motoyasu who was kicked far away, Atachi's beautiful eyebrows suddenly jumped.
——Yes... I remember now...!
Fragments of past memories flashed through Ating's mind quickly.
She suddenly remembered that Naganosuke's clothes were somewhat similar in style to Azuki's Iga ninja uniform.
Then, fragments of memories from the expedition against Shiranui last autumn flashed through Atachi's mind.
During the expedition against Shiranui, she, along with Rin, Genichi and others, encountered a group of Iga ninjas.
The outfits of those Iga ninjas are exactly the same as the ones on Naganosuke...
Ating pursed her lips and slowly clenched her hands, which were hanging naturally.
——Why is the Iga ninja here? !
While shouting this in her heart, she quickly ran to where Su Ying fell.
After picking up Su Ying, he hurried westward with an anxious look on his face.
This is the direction of the inn where they are currently staying.
A-Ming was hoping and praying in her heart.
She prayed that after returning to the hotel, she would see Xufang, who was safe and sound, and asked her with concern: What happened to you? Why is there so much blood on your body?
…
…
Osaka, somewhere——
After smashing Sakuma's head with a leaping slash, Ogata launched a violent attack on the musketeer beside him.
Ogata originally thought that these musketeers were not carrying swords, and once they engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them, they would be defeated without any means of resistance.
But Ogata discovered that he was wrong.
These musketeers have a very high fighting spirit.
Few people showed fear when Ogata got close to them.
Those who were closer to Ogata simply raised the flintlock in their hands upside down, used it as a fire poker, and swung it towards Ogata with great force.
Those who were farther away from Ogata, even without anyone giving orders, would consciously retreat, distance themselves from Ogata, and point their guns at him.
Ogata was surprised by the high fighting spirit of these people, and at the same time, he did not dare to be careless.
Ogata was not afraid of the musketeers who distanced themselves from him and intended to shoot him.
Their gun formation was in disarray, and Ogata was surrounded by his companions. The musketeers who were planning to shoot Ogata were afraid to shoot their companions, so they hesitated to do so.
Instead, it was those who used their flintlock rifles as blunt instruments who caused Ogata some trouble.
Flintlock rifles were swung at various parts of Ogata's body.
Under normal circumstances, Ogata would not be afraid of these enemies who used flintlock rifles in close combat out of desperation.
However...Ogata's physical condition was extremely poor.
Every part of my body was aching, my head was aching and swollen, there was a buzzing sound inside my skull, and my body temperature was rising.
Reaction ability , perception, strength, agility...all are greatly reduced.
Even though he had entered the "selfless state", Ogata was still accidentally hit twice by the flintlock rifles swung at him.
One was hit in the left shoulder and the other in the thigh.
Although it did not cause much damage to Ogata, the place where he was hit was very painful.
Ogata is now blood-thirsty.
His head was getting more and more painful and swollen, making it difficult for Ogata to think.
Since you can't think, then don't think.
He swung his knife mechanically, slashing at every man holding a flintlock rifle within his sight.
Blood splattered on hair, ignored.
Blood splattered on cheek, but he ignored it.
Blood splashed onto his left eye, and the vision in his left eye turned red. He couldn't see anything, but he still ignored it.
If you cannot see with your left eye temporarily, use your right eye to see.
There was no spare time to wipe away the blood covering his left eye.
Muga two-sword flow, circulation!
clang!
Ogata used his wakizashi to block a flintlock musket swung at his head, and then slashed into his side with his katana.
Then... the feeling that made Ogata's pupils shrink was transmitted along the knife to Ogata's palm.
According to Ogata's inference, the slash he just made should have been enough to cut the man in half.
However, his knife didn't even reach the man's belly button.
It's not that his current strength is too weak.
But the knife is no longer useful.
The blades of his katana and wakizashi were now covered with a thick layer of blood and fat.
After cutting too many hard bones, the blade had more and more notches and became bumpy.
The blade was unusable, so Ogata was unable to inflict a heavy blow on the musketeer in front of him that would have immobilized him.
The musketeer was vomiting blood and his eyes were vicious.
He swung the flintlock again and hit Ogata's head.
Although his eyes showed a fierce look, Ogata's eyes also flashed with a fierce light.
Ogata once again used his wakizashi to block the man's flintlock rifle, then pulled out the katana that had been inserted into his body, and then swung the katana at the man again.
Ogata's slash this time was extremely powerful.
Because he used the forbidden technique of Iga-ryu - using strength!
Sakakihara's sword flow, water falling, luck!
The blade slashed into the man's left neck, chopping off his head in one go until only a layer of skin remained connected to his body.
[Ding! Use Sakakibara Ittoryu: Waterfall to kill the enemy.]
[Gained 80 personal experience points, 60 experience points for the sword technique "Sakakibara Ittoryu", and 20 experience points for the Iga-ryu forbidden technique "Yun Jin"]
[Current personal level: Lv40 (4170/6400)]
[Sakakibara Ittoryu Level: 14th stage (1495/14000)]
[Iga-ryu forbidden technique level: 2nd stage (360/400)]
Since the knife is blunt and difficult to cut into the human body, just use brute force to force the blade into the body!
If possible, Ogata didn't want to use his strength.
Using energy would more or less tax his physical strength - this was something that Ogata, whose physical condition was currently very poor, was trying hard to avoid.
But in this situation where it was either you or me, there was no way Ogata could continue to conserve his strength.
With a fierce look in his eyes and covered in blood, Ogata, who would chop people into pieces every time he drew his sword, looked at this moment... really like a Shura.
Even the musketeers who had a strong will to fight gradually began to show fear on their faces.
Finally - after more than half of these musketeers were reduced to mutilated corpses and fell to the ground, the remaining people finally fled in all directions due to the loss of fighting spirit.
Ogata did not chase after these remnants.
He hoped that these remnants of the army would quickly go away so that he could have enough time to rest.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Ogata slowly exited the "state of no self", and without caring about the blood and fat still remaining on the blade, he simply put the knife back into the bridge.
Anyway, I picked up these two knives myself, so there’s nothing to feel sorry about.
Ogata really wanted to just find a clean place to sit down and have a good rest.
At the very least, treat the injury on your leg simply.
At this time, a large area of ​​the cloth on Ogata's left thigh had been stained red with blood.
Just now, when Ogata was sniped by the ambush set by Sakuma on the roof, he had entered the state of "selflessness".
Thanks to the "state of no self", Ogata leaned back in time and avoided the fatal sniper attack, but a bullet still accidentally grazed Ogata's thigh.
But fortunately, the bullet did not penetrate Ogata's thigh, but only grazed it, scraping off some flesh.
The wound on my thigh was burning with pain and needed to be bandaged urgently.
However, Ogata did not dare to stay here for even a moment.
If we stay here for too long, there is a chance that more enemies will come to attack us.
There was definitely something wrong with the red fireworks that the man in black had just set off.
It is most likely used to report news.
To report his location...
Ogata planned to move to a safe place first, treat the wound on his leg simply, and then rush back to the residence of him, Atachi and others.
Ogata was not familiar with the area, so he simply "dragged" his body towards the most secluded place.
Before he knew it, Ogata had arrived at the bank of a canal.
Osaka is densely covered with waterways, and canals can be seen everywhere.
The canal in front of Ogata flows slowly from east to west.
The sound of gurgling water, and... the sound of objects burning and people screaming, reached Ogata's ears...
Ogata turned his head and looked around, and saw that in the distance there were many orange-red flames, and a large amount of charred black smoke was spewing out from where the flames were.
"So... I'm not the only one being attacked..." Ogata murmured in a deep voice, then changed to a self-deprecating tone, "It reminds me of that long night in Kyoto last summer..."
After teasing himself, Ogata sat down on the ground, then tore open the left half of his hakama and prepared to treat the wound.
However, just as he tore off the left half of his hakama, Ogata saw out of the corner of his left eye - on a big tree far to his left... there was a man in black sitting.
It was the guy who just released red fireworks into the sky.
When Ogata discovered this person, he just took out a small wooden tube from his pocket and pointed the mouth of the wooden tube at the sky...
——Is this ever going to end!
Ogata jumped up and rushed towards the man in black.
But the distance between him and the man in black was more than 20 meters...
This distance was enough for the man in black to set off the fireworks calmly.
laugh--!
There was another bright red flower in the sky again.
After setting off the fireworks, the man in black immediately jumped down from the tree without hesitation and ran away.
This guy was extremely agile, and Ogata, who was in very poor physical condition, found it difficult to catch up with him for a while.
Ogata originally wanted to enter the "state of no self" again.
But after thinking it over, I gave up the idea.
The "selfless state" consumes a lot of physical strength, so it is best not to use it if you can. At this moment, when the number and position of the enemy are still unclear, and your physical condition is still quite bad, you should use the "selfless state" with caution.
Ogata has a more convenient way to deal with the fleeing man in black.
Click.
Ogata reached into his arms and pulled out Kasumi.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He aimed at the back of the man in black and emptied all the bullets in Kasumagari's gun chamber.
Ogata was very aware of his marksmanship. Without entering the "selfless state", he could only rely on luck to hit a running target about 20 meters away from him.
Therefore, in order to ensure that he could hit the man in black, Ogata did not hold back on any bullets.
Four bullets whizzed past, and only one hit the man in black on the back.
Even though it only hit one, it was enough.
The man in black screamed, staggered a few steps, and fell to the ground.
When he struggled to get up, Shura, covered in blood, had already arrived.
laugh!
Ogata sat astride the man in black like a tiger descending from a mountain. He then used his wakizashi to pierce his throat from top to bottom and pulled it out suddenly, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain.
The blood gushing out from the wound in his throat sprayed onto Ogata's face and hair, making his blood-stained hair, which was almost dried by the wind, wet again...
Before returning to the inn and confirming that Atachi and the others were safe, Ogata did not have the leisure and time to take in the prisoners and extract information from them.
"It never ends..." Ogata said in a tired tone, "Can't you let me take a break for a while... um..."
Ogata raised his hands with a painful look and covered his head.
He felt his head aching and swollen even more.
Before, I felt like there were hundreds of bees buzzing inside my head.
And now, Ogata felt like there were thousands of bees flying around inside his head.
My thoughts were fragmented and I couldn't calm down and think.
——I have to... treat the wound on my thigh quickly...
Knock knock knock knock knock…
Suddenly... a sound of footsteps approaching Ogata rapidly came from far away and exploded from Ogata's right side.
Ogata was in such a bad condition that he didn't notice the unidentified object until it was within 10 meters.
He jumped to the side hastily and reached out to grab the hilt of the knife - but it was too late.
The unidentified object hit Ogata.
He is a sturdy man who is about the same height as Ogata.
After bumping into Ogata, the sturdy man just held Ogata in his arms and continued to rush forward.
Rushed all the way into the canal ahead.
Ogata fell into the canal with the strong man.
The cold river water immediately enveloped Ogata's entire body.
However, Ogata did not feel any discomfort from being wrapped in the river water. On the contrary, his body temperature was getting higher and higher, making him feel somewhat comfortable.
It was just that he fell into the water suddenly, and Ogata didn't have time to prepare, and he couldn't help but choke on the water a few times.
Although Ogata is not very good at swimming, he still knows common swimming movements such as freestyle and diving.
He used his hands and feet to swim toward the surface of the river.
But at this moment, Ogata vaguely saw under the water - a long, thick black shadow, twisting its lower body like a fish, breaking through the water flow, and swimming towards him quickly.
This flexible swimming posture reminded Ogata of the "mermaid" in his previous life.
However, this black shadow was not a mermaid.
But it was the strong man who pushed Ogata into the water just now !
In addition to the figure of this sturdy man, Ogata also saw two bright shadows.
It's a knife.
The black shadow held a wakizashi in each of his left and right hands.
The sturdy man swam towards Ogata with two wakizashi in his hands and stabbed Ogata with the wakizashi in his hands!
There was no time to swim up the river. Ogata quickly drew his two swords.
Bang...
Under the water, Ogata's sword and the strong man's sword touched each other, making a dull sound.
After missing the first attack, the strong man did not want to fight anymore. He swung his feet and broke away from Ogata's sight and swam to a place where Ogata could not see him.
——We just dealt with the musketeers, and now the mermaids are here?!
Ogata clenched the knife tightly, subconsciously wanting to switch to "Original Breathing", enter the "selfless state", kill the "mermaid" in one breath, and return to the shore.
However... just as he was about to take a breath, Ogata suddenly realized that he was in the water and couldn't breathe...
Not to mention breathing, there wasn't even much air left in his lungs...