Bear School Astartes

The man's condition was clearly off, but that didn't clear him of suspicion.

Criminals may also grieve when their own children die, yet commit crimes without remorse, not realizing that they are killing someone else's child.

After a moment of shock, the deformed man across the way saw Lann's readiness to strike, his expression turning cold.

"What, has the Hirata Family lost its nerve to allow strangers to rest in its territory after the calamity?"

The short melon-like ninja sized up Lann.

"Sending someone like you to chase me away... Is the plan to kill me directly?"

As Lann unleashed his undisguised hostility, his body also shifted into combat mode.

The genetic seed coordinated his organs, the blood pumped from the "second heart" was hot and efficient.

The cold malice and abnormal heat radiating from him exerted an indescribable pressure on both consciousness and reality.

As if a panting, blood-scented hungry brown bear was right behind you, sniffing your neck. Its breaths were hot, but your heart was cold.

Having been trained to have strong will, the straw-hat man managed only a sweaty palm, yet his muscles weren't stiff and he could still grip his sword.

Lann tilted his head, looking at him, his gaze as cold as the silver hair sliding down his forehead.

"Last time we met, you said your child had died. I consoled you, though I knew it wouldn't help... But why, having tasted such pain yourself, do you still take away others' children?"

"What are you talking about?"

In the straw-hat man's voice was a suppressed panic, letting Lann know he found the right person.

"I don't know what you're talking about... Ugh! Clang!!!"

Sparks exploded as steel clashed in an instant!

It was a bizarre speed of movement that even a ninja found astounding!

When a ninja uses the Light Body Skill to charge, the leg power buildup is evident, but Lann's sprint with Bear School Swordsmanship showed no sign of power accumulation!

The straw-hat man had no chance to clash blades with Lann, he couldn't react.

He relied on the massive black iron hat that covered his entire body, narrowly avoiding the blade cutting into flesh!

Lann's icy gaze pressed down with the blade, while the opponent slid off relying on the smooth curve of the hat.

Even so, the straw-hat man's vision spun, and his brain throbbed.

Their school dared to use the hat as defense on their heads, prepared for scenarios of "concussions."

Their potato-shaped, virtually neckless bodies were specially trained "shock-absorption designs."

He was a backbone of the ninja group, yet he never thought he'd be suppressed to this extent.

Speed so bizarre he couldn't respond, and strength so great he couldn't defend...

"Can't even react... Did the Hirata Family produce a Seven Spears?!"

The straw-hat man could see clearly, though his pupils expanded from the "concussion," a look of shock.

He hadn't seen the Seven Spears of Iwami in action, few lived to tell. But he supposed it would only be this formidable.

By now, only ninja agility could save him.

The short melon ninja bounced nimbly on cliffs and in mid-air, like a leaping potato.

Their bodies were half an adult's size, making them small targets.

The stature made enemy attacks mainly downward chops, just blocked by their hat.

The hat's edges were sharpened, preventing being grabbed. If grabbed, they could turn to cut off the enemy's fingers.

Lann sensed through the fight they were a disciplined ninja group.

Yet this indicated another truth: being methodically developed showed they weren't wandering wild ninjas!

—They had a master!

They captured children following their master's orders!

Realizing this, Lann's eyes slightly narrowed.

The pitch-black hat flew over, the ninja inside concealed, his moves entirely hidden by the hat.

As it reached Lann, the ninja twisted mid-air with force from his waist. A poisoned dagger slashed toward Lann's face.

Unless in a decisive moment, don't attack vital spots, since vital spots are well defended.

Accumulate harm with small but numerous wounds and poison, delivering a final killing blow.

This was the straw-hat man's experience over years.

But as he twisted his waist, the detached cat's eyes of the man across showed no ripple.

"Clang!"

The poisoned dagger was deflected in a strange arc by his blade, stiffening the straw-hat man's airborne body.

"Damn! It's Iwami Style..."

The stiffness was detected, making Lann feel using an ordinary blade against a hat was ineffective.

So he simply kicked after deflecting the dagger!

A resounding clash!

The armored boot struck the iron hat in mid-air at waist level.

A solid kick delivered more power than a blade only three fingers wide!

The short melon ninja's grunt was choked back by the kick.

His body made several skids on the ground, crashing against the cliff!

Leaning on the rock face, his thin arms were twisted and twitching. Straining to focus blurry vision, he looked at the foreign warrior approaching with a cold face.

"Can't win... Even with Light Body Skill, my arm was dislocated by the collision!"

"...Must flee! He's wearing heavy armor, can't keep up!"

Once decided, the ninja didn't hesitate, turning away. The single-toothed wooden clogs gripped rugged cliff stones 'click-clack'.

Taking advantage of Lann's delay, he fluttered up over ten meters of terrain, like a paper figure.

Holding his dislocated arm, he glanced down at the calm-faced foreign warrior, the straw-hat man dared not linger.

He needed to find his ninja group quickly, not just for safety in numbers but due to doubts in his mind.

"I clearly told them not to act during this period!"

Running, his expression was solemn and puzzled.

His ninja group disobeying him... is bad news for him.

Below the cliff, seemingly due to the terrain and armor, the enemy escaped Lann, who calmly watched the potato-like ninja vanish from sight.

After a long time...

"Mentos, start marking the tracking route."

On the retina, highly saturated colors converged into a trail.

Lann crouched, pinched a handful of blood-stained dirt, and sniffed lightly. He murmured coldly with a smirk.

"Run, the hunt begins..."

"Let me see, how many of you there are."