Chapter 212

"Bang!" A muffled sound echoed.

The bullet finally struck Kuchiki Senya's left shoulder.

A hint of triumph flickered in Kitaoka Ryoko's eye corner before she pulled the trigger again.

"Bang!" Another sound rang out, but it still missed Kuchiki Senya—only his clothing was hit.

Kitaoka Ryoko's expression shifted slightly, and she fired again, each shot failing.

"Damn it!" Kitaoka Ryoko muttered under her breath, a flicker of anxiety deep in her eyes; she hadn't expected Kuchiki Senya's reaction speed to be this fast.

She now finally understood why Kuchiki Senya had dared to say he would kill her and showed no fear of them at all.

205、Agreed

Because although her speed was fast, for a top assassin surpassing elite agents, dodging wasn't difficult.

"Miss Kitaoka Ryoko, want to play some more?" Kuchiki Senya's lips curled into a faint, sinister smile.

"You…!" Kitaoka Ryoko, seeing Kuchiki Senya's expression, nearly spat blood.

"Kuchiki-kun, let's both move in and seize him, then force him to reveal critical information," Fujiwara Shunro said through gritted teeth, seeing Kuchiki Senya only defending.

"Alright!" Kuchiki Senya nodded, agreeing.

Then both of them charged toward Kuchiki Senya simultaneously.

But at that moment, a red streak slashed through space, lashing fiercely toward the two.

Seeing this, Kitaoka Ryoko's pupils contracted violently, her face turning pale.

Fujiwara Shunro also sensed the danger, his face filled with shock and fury; he hastily dodged.

"Slish!" A sharp dagger pierced through Fujiwara Shunro's chest, spraying blood.

Fujiwara Shunro's body froze, his expression locked in place; slowly, he looked down at the dagger protruding from his body, his gaze growing dull.

Fujiwara Shunro opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but then his body went limp and collapsed toward the ground.

He died with eyes wide open. (bccb)

Kitaoka Ryoko stared wide-eyed at Fujiwara Shunro's corpse, a strong sense of dread rising within her.

Kitaoka Ryoko quickly averted her gaze and turned to look at Kuchiki Senya.

At that moment, Kuchiki Senya stood at a distance, arms crossed, silently watching her, his eyes filled with heavy mockery and pity.

Beads of sweat formed on Kitaoka Ryoko's forehead; she knew this man had surely guessed her true identity.

She glared at Kuchiki Senya coldly: "Kuchiki Senya, I never expected you could see through my disguise—apparently, I underestimated you."

"You're wrong. I recognized you were an impostor from the start; I only chatted with you to lure out more information," Kuchiki Senya said calmly.

Kitaoka Ryoko's expression changed slightly; after a moment of silence, she sighed: "Kuchiki-kun, your meticulousness has impressed me. I've lost to you."

"You're no match for me," Kuchiki Senya shook his head.

Kitaoka Ryoko let out a bitter laugh, a look of gloom crossing her face.

Since childhood, she had been hailed as the most outstanding assassin of the Sakura Group's younger generation, a figure under the spotlight.

But since Kuchiki Senya emerged, her fame was instantly overshadowed—even the chance to be his sparring partner was denied her.

Though she resented it, she had no recourse, for Kuchiki Senya was simply far stronger than her.

Kitaoka Ryoko knew she could never defeat Kuchiki Senya; even in a one-on-one duel, she would lose without question.

Kuchiki Senya's eyes blazed with brilliant, dazzling light; he glanced at Kitaoka Ryoko, then walked straight out.

As Kuchiki Senya stepped past the doorway, he suddenly halted, turned back to Kitaoka Ryoko, and said coldly: "Kitaoka Ryoko, today's humiliation—I will repay it."

Upon hearing Kuchiki Senya's words, Kitaoka Ryoko froze for a moment, then a flush of shame and rage rose on her lovely face.

"You actually hold a grudge?!" Kitaoka Ryoko shouted angrily.

She had only meant to scare Kuchiki Senya into cooperating; she never imagined he'd remember this.

"Hahaha… Miss Kitaoka Ryoko, I hope we meet again." Kuchiki Senya laughed loudly, then his figure vanished swiftly from the room.

206、Lost in thought

Kitaoka Ryoko stood there, her expression shifting uncertainly, lost in thought.

"Miss Kitaoka, what should we do now?" Fujiwara Shunro stepped forward, worriedly saying.

Fujiwara Shunro was badly wounded; he clutched his bleeding chest, pale and visibly weak—his injuries were severe.

"Fujiwara-kun, I'm sorry," Kitaoka Ryoko said apologetically.

Fujiwara Shunro's face flickered with surprise, then he shook his head: "I understand. This isn't your fault."

"Let's go," Kitaoka Ryoko said coldly.

"Yes," Fujiwara Shunro nodded.

Kitaoka Ryoko turned and left.

"Kuchiki Senya…" Her beautiful eyes glinted with venom and hatred.

As she walked, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Miss Kitaoka, what can I do for you?" A teasing voice came from the other end.

"Sawano-kun, kill a man named Kuchiki Senya!" Kitaoka Ryoko's eyes flashed with cold light as she spoke firmly.

"Miss Kitaoka, this Kuchiki Senya is extremely powerful—they say he once killed three upper-tier jounin with a single strike. We might…" Sawano hesitated, unwilling to refuse her order but reluctant to risk it.

"I don't care what his strength is. As long as he lives one more day, I won't be able to sleep or eat. Do you understand me?" Kitaoka Ryoko snapped, her voice icy, brimming with lethal intent.

Hearing her words, Sawano trembled slightly, then bowed respectfully: "Yes, Miss Kitaoka. I'll act immediately."

"Wait!" Kitaoka Ryoko suddenly called out to Sawano.

"Miss Kitaoka, do you have further instructions?" Sawano said respectfully, not daring to show the slightest laziness.

Kitaoka Ryoko hesitated, then said: "Search his body for everything—especially that wooden box. Whatever's inside must be retrieved."

"Yes," Sawano replied respectfully.

After hanging up the phone, Kitaoka Ryoko took several deep breaths, suppressing the resentment in her heart.

"I, Kitaoka Ryoko, am the strongest assassin of the Sakura Group, and I never expected to lose to a mere kid like you!" Kitaoka Ryoko muttered to herself, feeling a bit stifled inside.

She had just carefully observed Kuchiki Senya for a long time, yet still failed to discover any flaw.

Kuchiki Senya's concealment technique was extremely Gao Chao; even though Kitaoka Ryoko was an expert of the realm of the shinobi, she could not see the slightest flaw.

··· Seeking flowers···

"Not only did I lose to you young man, I also lost this assassination. If word gets out, I'll be embarrassed all the way back to my grandmother's house." Kitaoka Ryoko said bitterly.

"But fortunately you didn't take that jade pendant, otherwise I really would have lost out big time." Kitaoka Ryoko extended her right hand, gently stroking a necklace worn around her neck that was entirely emerald green and emitted a mesmerizing glow.

"Hehe, that bastard definitely wouldn't have expected that jade pendant to be carried on me, right?" Kitaoka Ryoko chuckled lightly, and her mood finally eased considerably.

Elsewhere, Kuchiki Senya's figure moved swiftly, weaving through the darkness. His footsteps grew slower and slower, and his speed was also gradually decreasing.

"This can't go on, my stamina will be severely overdrawn, and by nightfall it will probably be even more dangerous." A trace of solemnity surfaced between Kuchiki Senya's brows.

He had now entered the mountainous region, surrounded entirely by tall, straight trees.

Beneath the cover of this dense forest, his tracks could easily be completely concealed.

If it were someone else, they might have already fallen completely into a predicament, utterly unable to escape.

But for Kuchiki Senya, it was not really difficult.

207. I'll Satisfy You

"That woman Kitaoka Ryoko is quite clever, actually using this method to force me out." Kuchiki Senya said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Since that's the case, then I'll satisfy you."

Having said that, his figure suddenly accelerated, darting out like a cheetah at full speed, leaving trails of afterimages along the way.

The next morning, at dawn, Kuchiki Senya slowly climbed out of bed. He felt as if the bones all over his body were about to shatter.

"Phew... finally recovered, that damned woman." Kuchiki Senya "five-five-three" gritted his teeth and cursed twice.

He rubbed his aching, splitting shoulders, then took his clothes from the side and dressed neatly.

"Eh, what's this?"

Kuchiki Senya suddenly noticed a red brocade box placed on the nightstand.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, his eyes slightly narrowed, and he said: "This woman is really cautious enough, even carrying this kind of token on her. This saves me quite a bit of trouble."

This red brocade box was precisely the token Kitaoka Ryoko had given him yesterday—a red lotus petal.

It was a red lotus petal carved from red crystal, lifelike, as if alive.

Moreover, this red lotus petal seemed to have something like blood on it.

"Looks like it should be pretty good, not in vain that I worked hard yesterday to save her life and also drove off the enemies for her." Kuchiki Senya said with a beaming smile, putting the red lotus petal away properly.

This red lotus petal could resist hallucinogens for three minutes, and was an extremely precious life-saving treasure.

The threats Kitaoka Ryoko had spoken of were, to Kuchiki Senya, complete nonsense.