"Ten Kills in a Row!" Haruto Saito's heart shook. "Five thousand reputation points!"
In the reputation shop, there was a card for a tenfold increase in spirit, priced at a steep 15,000 reputation points. Haruto originally had 9,700 reputation points, and with this reward for his ten kills in a row, his total reputation would rise to 14,700 points. Just 300 more points, and he could exchange them for the tenfold spirit increase card.
Blood sprayed like mist in the wind, mixing with the white fog and turning the surroundings a deep crimson.
Haruto didn't rush to check the rewards. He stashed away the cards that Hinata Ryo had dropped and, with a swift motion, leaped into the nearby bushes, quickly distancing himself from the scene.
A short while later, Haruto found himself high in the canopy of a towering tree, its thick branches providing cover. He hid in the shadows cast by the foliage, his figure almost invisible in the dense fog. He flipped his wrist, pulling out all the cards he had earned from killing four opponents earlier.
He had obtained more magic cards and another BOSS card!
Haruto hesitated before considering the BOSS card. He was already planning to hunt down a specific BOSS. Adding another might complicate things further. His focus needed to be on Hinata Kyogoku first—he had to carefully plan his attack and look for the right opportunity. Whether he succeeded was still uncertain.
The main concern, however, was that his target BOSS might be killed by someone else!
The remaining members of the Hyuga clan included an elite Chunin, but the rest were all Jonin—two Jonin and one elite Jonin. The Sand Hidden Village still had three Jonin and one elite Jonin. They were all fighting amongst themselves. In such a situation, if Haruto used the BOSS card again, unless it randomly targeted the elite Chunin, he could quickly kill him. If it targeted a Jonin, Haruto wouldn't be able to deal a fast kill, and there was no telling who would end up killing the new BOSS.
Losing a BOSS kill to someone else was frustrating!
Hinata Kyogoku, on the other hand, was a guaranteed BOSS. He wouldn't be killed by the Sand Hidden ninjas. Not only was he strong, but the Hyuga clan was also renowned for their defensive capabilities, making him hard to kill.
"Let me wait. If they continue fighting until both sides are nearly wiped out... the fewer people, the better for me. I'll use the BOSS card then." Haruto made the best assumption and tucked the BOSS card away.
He still had more than ten cards in his hand, all rewards from his kills.
"Spirit of heaven and earth, bring me a reputation card..." Haruto muttered playfully, shaking the stack of cards in his hands before flipping them open.
Killing an elite Chunin had a small chance of dropping a reputation card, though the odds were low.
But since Haruto had just made four kills in a row, surely one of the cards would be a reputation card, right?
It was nice to imagine!
And indeed, reality was just as good!
When Haruto reached the ninth card, he stopped, a look of joy crossing his face—he had found a 1,000-reputation card!
He consumed the card, and his total reputation jumped to 15,700 points. Without wasting any time, Haruto opened the reputation exchange interface and quickly locked his gaze on the tenfold spirit increase card. He exchanged the points immediately!
The card appeared in his space inventory, and Haruto quickly retrieved the tenfold spirit increase card. It looked identical to a regular spirit enhancement card, except with different wording—ten times the effect of a regular spirit enhancement card!
"Crunch!" Haruto bit the tenfold spirit enhancement card in half.
The glow rushed into his mouth, and a cold surge of energy shot into his mind. Haruto felt a chill in his mind, and the sensation quickly spread down his spine, extending to his back. He felt more awake and alert.
The increased spiritual energy would allow him to convert more chakra from his steady physical energy. This was the principle behind how the spirit enhancement card increased total chakra capacity.
An increase in spiritual energy also meant sharper mental clarity, faster thought processes, and enhanced judgment, perception, and chakra control.
Why do high-level ninjas have such strong sensory abilities? They can detect even the slightest movements of wind or grass from dozens of meters away.
It's because their spiritual energy is so strong!
The strange sensation quickly faded. Haruto felt as if he had been reborn, and even his range of heightened perception had expanded.
Haruto had previously consumed four spirit enhancement cards. Combined with his base mental strength, the effect was roughly equivalent to one spirit enhancement card. In total, his chakra was already comparable to that of a regular elite Chunin.
Now, after consuming the tenfold enhancement card, his chakra had gone from a base of five to fifteen, making his chakra volume three times that of a regular elite Chunin!
This was the chakra volume of a Jonin—not just any Jonin!
Because ordinary Jonin usually couldn't handle A-rank ninjutsu or lacked enough chakra to perform large-scale A-rank ninjutsu. But Haruto felt confident that his chakra volume was more than enough! He could easily unleash a powerful A-rank ninjutsu, such as the Great Waterfall Technique, if needed!
He stashed the rest of the cards back into his inventory, clapped his hands together, and activated his Byakugan!
He scanned the battlefield.
Two groups of fighters were locked in brutal combat!
Hinata Kyogoku had issued a death order to his people: kill the Sand Hidden ninjas to maintain their secrets. He didn't care how many of his own died—so long as he remained alive, he could continue hunting Haruto.
Hinata Kyogoku was facing off against Shaki, who was slightly weaker, but with the help of a Sand Hidden Jonin, they were temporarily at a standstill.
Meanwhile, two other Sand Hidden Jonin were engaged with two Hyuga Jonin and one elite Chunin.
Though these five fighters seemed to be fighting individually, they were close enough to support each other.
The advantage still lay with the Hyuga clan, but ninja battles rarely ended quickly. When the strength difference isn't too great, it often turns into a war of attrition—who can last longer, who has more chakra, and who has better battle intelligence.
Haruto observed.
Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure.
Uchiha Tori!
This guy was cautiously making his way southeast. He was trying to leave the fog area without moving too quickly, and he didn't dare use ninjutsu to clear the mist, fearing he'd be spotted.
He looked heavily injured, mainly from blood loss. It was unclear how much of his combat ability had been drained.
It was obvious that if he were spotted, whether by the Hyuga or Sand Hidden ninjas, they would try to kill him.
Haruto hadn't seen Uchiha Iwa or Uchiha Mizuki—they were probably already using the chaos to escape.
"This guy is really tough!" Haruto murmured, giving a bit of praise to Uchiha Tori. Then, he turned his attention back to the battle between Hinata Kyogoku and Shaki.
Waiting.
With his chakra at a new high, Haruto needed to recover a bit before making his move. There was no real opportunity for a quick kill at the moment. In both battlefields, one side had three people, the other five, and getting close enough for a quick kill was challenging. Even if he could make a quick kill, he would face a harsher counterattack.
There was no perfect opportunity; Haruto needed to wait.
Hinata Kyogoku was engaged in a two-on-one fight, constantly shifting positions as he battled, and Haruto followed, staying close enough not to miss any opportunity.