571. Killing the Centipede / 572. Masked Woman

Killing the Centipede

Rumble!

The ground suddenly shook as though an earthquake had struck. Izayoi felt as if he had been swept up by another massive shockwave. "What the hell is going on?"

Izayoi cursed as he climbed to his feet. This time, he did not dare keep running and could only choose to take a detour.

Boom!

The tremors grew more violent, the earth shaking harder and harder. Izayoi had no idea which way to run and could only pick a direction at random.

Thud!

Suddenly, a dull sound rang out. Izayoi felt as though his foot had struck something, followed by a crack like the sound of bones breaking.

He immediately turned around and saw the feelers of a giant centipede over a hundred meters long wrapped around his leg.

Only then did he understand what that sound had been. He had been tripped by a giant centipede beneath his feet.

If he had not turned around in time, he would probably have already been torn into a pulp by the centipede.

Damn, that was disgusting!

Izayoi frowned and stared at the giant centipede before him with open disgust.

Holy crap, such a thick centipede actually had such a huge mouth. That was fucking disgusting, Izayoi complained.

The giant centipede flew into a rage and spat venom from its mouth.

Izayoi immediately dodged aside.

The venom sprayed onto a nearby tree trunk, and the tree instantly burst into flames. The fire only continued to grow stronger.

Holy shit!

What the hell was that?

Izayoi was startled.

He finally realized how formidable this centipede was. He had thought he had narrowly escaped disaster through luck, but that was clearly not the case. This centipede was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Whoosh!

The centipede’s tail suddenly lashed toward him.

Holy shit!

Izayoi hurriedly raised his hands to block the centipede’s attack.

Bang!

Izayoi was knocked back several steps and nearly fell over.

"Holy shit!" Izayoi cursed before charging at the centipede again.

Whoosh!

The centipede’s feelers attacked Izayoi relentlessly, but Izayoi was no pushover. He was unbelievably fast, and his fists struck the centipede’s head with great efficiency.

Bang!

His fist had no effect at all when it hit the centipede. Pain shot through Izayoi’s hand, and his expression darkened.

Damn, it was hard!

Izayoi silently groaned. Although his fist had struck the centipede’s body, it had only damaged a layer of its outer shell.

It was absolutely the toughest thing he had ever encountered.

Izayoi refused to believe it and continued his fierce assault.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of fists landed on the centipede, but Izayoi felt as though he were punching a rock. He could not break through its defenses at all.

This won’t work.

Izayoi frowned. Was there really no way to defeat this giant centipede? This centipede was far too powerful. He felt that even if he used all his strength, he might not be able to defeat it.

Izayoi decided to run.

Whoosh!

Izayoi’s figure swiftly vanished. He no longer dared remain there.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just then, Izayoi heard urgent whistling sounds cutting through the air behind him. When he looked back, his face turned pale with fright.

Dozens of enormous feelers were chasing after him. They moved incredibly fast, catching up to him within seconds before madly stabbing toward him.

Izayoi evaded the attacks and sprinted into the distance at top speed.

He moved extremely fast, but the giant centipede followed behind him, and its speed was just as terrifying.

He felt as though he were running for his life.

Fortunately, Izayoi was a little faster than the giant centipede. Even while running, he could sense the foul wind coming from behind him, leaving him flustered and panicked.

He could not help speeding up, afraid that if he slowed even slightly, the feelers behind him would seize him and tear him into pieces.

And so, Izayoi continued fleeing.

He did not know how long he had run. He was exhausted to the point of collapse, and he felt as though he were about to die.

Huff… huff…

Izayoi panted without stopping, his face drenched in sweat.

By then, he could no longer sense the giant centipede. Izayoi breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he could rest without worry—but he did not know that the moment he relaxed, disaster would strike.

The instant Izayoi let down his guard, he felt a fierce gust of wind attack him. It was incredibly sharp, and he immediately reacted by thrusting both hands forward.

But the moment his palms touched the gust, it suddenly exploded, blasting Izayoi away.

The giant centipede burrowed out of the ground again and opened its mouth to swallow Izayoi whole. Seeing its bloody maw dripping with saliva, Izayoi was frightened out of his wits.

He wanted to run, but found that he could no longer move. His feet had sunk into the soil, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stand up.

Damn, I’m dead this time. Izayoi felt death closing in.

The Masked Woman

Izayoi Sakamaki had never expected this centipede to be so powerful. He had thought he could deal with it since there was only one, but things had completely exceeded his expectations. The centipede was about to swallow him into its belly. If it killed him, he would not be able to take the materials on him back to save the poisoned Naruto.

That Naruto would certainly die. Therefore, his most important task now was to crawl out of the centipede’s mouth. He bore such an important responsibility, so he absolutely could not lose his life.

Naruto was also extremely anxious as he watched, because he knew that if Izayoi Sakamaki lost his life now, there would be no point in going back. He did not have the materials; they were all on Izayoi Sakamaki.

Naruto shouted at Izayoi Sakamaki, "Boss, you absolutely can’t die! We don’t want you to die! You’ve done so much for us. Now that you’re in such danger, I definitely won’t stand by and do nothing!"

Naruto intended to rescue Izayoi Sakamaki from the centipede’s mouth, but Izayoi Sakamaki was also extremely anxious. He knew this centipede was not easy to deal with. If Naruto came to save him,

Naruto would surely lose his life as well. Rather than both of them dying, it would be better for him to die alone. It truly would not be right to drag Naruto down with him. Naruto was still young and had a long road ahead of him. Though Izayoi himself was not old either,

he had eaten more salt than they had eaten rice. He had to protect them, because he also bore the responsibility of protecting them.

If the materials were lost, they were lost. They could find more. But if Naruto lost his life, that would truly be unacceptable.

Izayoi Sakamaki said to Naruto, "Don’t come save me. You alone cannot contend with this giant centipede. Since I’ve already ended up in its mouth, don’t try every possible way to rescue me."

"You might lose your life. I don’t want you to die trying to save me, so leave quickly. Those materials have probably all been swallowed by the centipede, but I believe you’ll definitely find a way."

"To save your companion. I probably won’t make it much longer. I really can’t hold on anymore. This centipede is just too strong. I’ll probably be swallowed soon, so hurry back and report what happened."

"I don’t know whether those Naruto will be sad when they hear of my death, but you still have to tell them that I died protecting these materials. Didn’t you all have a huge problem with me before?"

"Now I want to prove myself. I truly did think of you. I had no selfish motives. You used to think I was always exploiting you and being harsh with you, but I only did that for your own good."

"You were still young and needed more training, which was why I acted that way. So, in these final moments, I hope you can forgive me. I know I was far too strict with you before."

Naruto felt helpless after hearing Izayoi Sakamaki’s words. He understood how good Izayoi Sakamaki had been to him, so he did not want Izayoi Sakamaki to lose his life. Seeing Izayoi Sakamaki so lacking in confidence also left him deeply confused.

Naruto then said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Izayoi Sakamaki, you have to pull yourself together. Since you brought up responsibility, then I need to have a proper talk with you."

"Didn’t you promise our brothers that you would definitely find the antidote to save that poisoned Naruto? But now, you haven’t achieved your goal."

"If you become someone who breaks his word, then even if you die, we won’t forgive you. So, Boss, you have to pull yourself together. It’s just a centipede. I believe you can definitely subdue it."

"Besides, haven’t you encountered many powerful enemies before and defeated all of them? Now it’s only a centipede. I believe you can do it too, but you absolutely must not give up. If you give up, then I’m afraid…"

"Defeating this centipede will become impossible. So, Izayoi Sakamaki, I hope you’ll pull yourself together and don’t give up so easily. Giving up so easily is destined to lead to failure. Think it over carefully, Izayoi Sakamaki!"

Izayoi Sakamaki felt deeply ashamed after hearing Naruto’s words. He truly had gone through too much and lost too much confidence. So he battled the centipede, gathering every last ounce of strength.

At last, he broke free from the centipede’s mouth and began fighting it. Although Izayoi Sakamaki was already exhausted, he still relied on his final strength to defeat the centipede.

Continue Searching

Izayoi Sakamaki had finally defeated the centipede before him, and he was naturally very happy. Defeating it had taken quite a bit of effort because the centipede had been far too powerful. Even thinking about it now left Izayoi Sakamaki with lingering fear. But this was not the time to brood, because he had already defeated the centipede. He needed to cheer up, because he still had an important mission to complete.

However, he was truly too tired. The centipede had drained all his energy. If he still had to travel and search for materials, that would be impossible.

He no longer had any energy to deal with anything else. Seeing Izayoi Sakamaki like this, Naruto came over, helped him up, and said, "Boss, I truly admire you."

"You had barely any energy left, yet you still defeated that centipede. I truly admire you. But you probably don’t have the energy to search for more materials now, right? How about we rest here first?"

"Once you recover your strength, we can discuss everything else. Your body is the most important thing. Although the Naruto lying in bed is nearly gone, if something happens to you, who else can save him?"

"So, Boss, rest here for now. Only after you’ve rested well will you have the energy to deal with Naruto’s situation."

Izayoi Sakamaki knew time waited for no one. If he delayed here any longer,

he would definitely be left with many regrets. If Naruto died, he would not even have the chance to feel guilty. How would he face everyone then?

Izayoi Sakamaki said to Naruto, "Now isn’t the time for me to rest. Although I have no energy left to travel or search for the remaining material,"

"Take these materials I found back with you. Although we’re still missing the final material, these are enough to delay Naruto’s condition, so it can only depend on you. I truly can’t walk anymore."

"If I had even the slightest bit of strength left, I would absolutely complete my mission myself."

Naruto felt that Izayoi Sakamaki had a point, but he could not leave Izayoi Sakamaki behind. Izayoi Sakamaki was utterly exhausted. If he ignored him now, then he would not be human. So,

no matter how much resentment he had once held toward Izayoi Sakamaki, now that Izayoi Sakamaki’s life was in danger, he could not simply abandon him. How could he take these materials back? Although the Naruto lying in bed

was also in critical condition, he absolutely could not leave his boss behind. He said to Izayoi Sakamaki, "Boss, I absolutely won’t abandon you. Although Naruto’s condition is extremely urgent,"

"you’re also in a critical state. If I leave you now, what will you do alone? So, Boss, I won’t leave you. There isn’t anyone else in this forest."

"If I don’t take care of you, then no one else will. So, Boss, I won’t leave you."

Izayoi Sakamaki thought it over and felt that Naruto was truly loyal, but he could not drag down the poisoned Naruto. If he kept Naruto here any longer,

the Naruto lying in bed would be in mortal danger. A few days later, Izayoi Sakamaki said to Naruto, "Now isn’t the time for you to think about me. What you hold in your hands now concerns your companion’s life."

"So hurry back. If you don’t arrive in time, your companion may be in mortal danger. I hope you understand this. It’s not that I don’t understand how you feel about me."

"But this is a critical moment. You absolutely cannot delay. If you stay here even a little longer, the consequences may be unimaginable."

Naruto was deeply moved after hearing Izayoi Sakamaki’s words. He took the few materials with him and headed back. Izayoi Sakamaki felt terribly dizzy. At that very moment, a masked woman appeared, leaving Izayoi Sakamaki greatly puzzled.

Whenever he was in his greatest danger, this masked woman always appeared. He had seen her before. Then, the masked woman administered medicine to Izayoi Sakamaki, and he quickly lost consciousness.

But the image of the masked woman was etched into Izayoi Sakamaki’s mind. When he awoke, he could not find any trace of her, which left him deeply confused. Izayoi Sakamaki thought, Who exactly is this masked woman? Why has she saved me so many times?

Then she disappeared again. Could this masked woman truly be someone who asked for nothing in return? If that was really the case, then he had to find her.

Suddenly Disappearing

Unable to find the masked woman, Izayoi Sakamaki had no choice. He felt that his most important task now was not to search for her. After all, the masked woman had only appeared in his life by chance. There was no need to dwell on it too much, because overthinking it would not lead to any good outcome. His most important task now was to find the final material needed to save Naruto.

If he found the last material needed to save Naruto, then he could search for the masked woman without worry. She had saved his life several times.

No matter what, he had to find her. But his most important task now was not to find her. He sighed and muttered to himself, "Since we have no fate between us,"

"Then I won’t look for you. Once I’ve taken care of everything on my hands, I’ll go find you."

Afterward, he went into the forest to search for materials and finally found one. However, Izayoi Sakamaki had found only half of it, not a complete piece.

Therefore, if he truly wanted to cure Naruto’s illness, he still had to find the remaining half. If he could not find that other half, then saving Naruto would be impossible.