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Crack… crack!!
A series of splitting sounds echoed through the air as the thick layer of earth began to crumble and fall away. From within the collapsing soil emerged Kazuma, his entire body drenched in blood.
"Kazuma!"
In the distance, Chiriku—one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja—rushed over and cried out in shock.
But Akira showed no mercy.
Every move he made was lethal, each strike aimed to kill.
Step by step, he closed the distance.
Closer.
Closer.
Shnk!
The sound of steel plunging into flesh cut through the air.
"Ugh…"
Kazuma lowered his head, staring at the kunai embedded deep in his chest.
"I… lost."
After muttering those words, he slowly closed his eyes and collapsed to the ground.
"Damn you, brat! Die!! Aaaagh!"
Chiriku roared, his face twisted with fury as he charged at Akira like a madman.
Akira remained completely calm. With a casual flick of his wrist, two kunai appeared in his hands.
He looked at the man rushing toward him, eyes cold and indifferent. To him, Chiriku was nothing more than someone blinded by rage.
Akira bent his right knee slightly, storing power.
Then he exploded forward.
His body shot through the air like a cannonball.
Arms crossed before his chest, he smashed downward toward Chiriku's head.
BOOM!
The impact rang out violently. Chiriku felt a loud buzzing fill his ears.
A metallic taste flooded his mouth. Warm liquid streamed down from his nose and lips.
Instinctively, he reached up and touched his neck.
His fingers came away wet.
A clear cut stretched across his throat.
That bastard… Akira had slit it open.
Chiriku stared at him in disbelief, eyes wide.
After all these years…
He had actually lost to a thirteen-year-old boy.
And not just lost.
He had been completely crushed.
Akira calmly slid the kunai back into his belt.
Looking down at the fallen Chiriku, a cold, bloodthirsty glint flickered in his eyes.
"You're not even worthy of being my opponent anymore," he said flatly. "So I'll send you on your way."
He raised his fist and smashed it toward Chiriku's head.
But just then—
The Chiriku lying on the ground suddenly vanished.
A chilling voice echoed through the air.
"You're too slow!"
A pale dagger dropped from above, plunging straight toward Akira's heart.
Chiriku had appeared behind him, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
He wanted Akira to watch helplessly as the dagger pierced his heart.
But the next second—
When Chiriku heard a dull grunt beside him, he froze.
Akira suddenly appeared at his side.
His right fist blocked the incoming dagger.
The blade bit into his hand, blood slowly dripping down its edge onto the ground.
Chiriku was stunned.
He stood there blankly for several seconds before finally reacting.
"What… what kind of ninjutsu is this?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Akira glanced at him indifferently and let out a faint, mocking smile.
"Not ninjutsu. Just speed."
Chiriku gritted his teeth and lunged again, stabbing with the dagger.
But the next instant—
Shnk!
Blood sprayed violently, splattering across his entire face.
Chiriku staggered back, clutching his neck, terror filling his eyes as he stared at Akira.
At that moment, Akira's left hand gripped the dagger that had pierced his own chest.
His other hand clamped around Chiriku's throat, squeezing hard.
Akira's eyes burned with a fierce flame.
He stared coldly at the struggling man.
"Remember this," he said in a low, hoarse voice. "The one who killed you… is Akira."
"Cough—cough—!"
The crushing feeling of suffocation overwhelmed Chiriku instantly.
He struggled desperately, legs kicking wildly as he tried to escape.
CRACK!
The crisp sound of bones snapping echoed in the air.
Chiriku's eyes bulged as he stared at Akira.
He couldn't understand it.
He had clearly held the advantage.
So how had he lost?
But reality didn't care about his confusion.
With the last shred of consciousness he had left, Chiriku weakly lifted a finger and pointed at Akira.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
Seeing that Chiriku was finally dead, Akira released his grip.
He gave the corpse a cold glance before turning and walking away.
…
Just then, another figure stepped in front of him.
"Kid, you're strong. But too bad for you… you ran into me."
Seito gripped the massive Executioner's Blade, staring at Akira with icy eyes.
"Really? Funny. I could say the same thing about meeting you."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Akira's lips. His eyes narrowed into a thin line, revealing his trademark expression—confidence mixed with arrogance.
"Hmph. Brat… die."
Without wasting another word, Seito rushed forward and unleashed a vicious slash.
The giant blade came crashing down toward Akira.
Yet Akira didn't move.
Not even an inch.
It was as if he hadn't noticed the attack at all.
What's going on? Why isn't he dodging?
Seito frowned in confusion, but his swing didn't slow in the slightest.
CLANG!
The collision exploded with a loud metallic crash.
Akira was knocked back several steps, while Seito remained rooted in place.
But the attack wasn't over.
Seizing the momentum, Seito continued swinging the Executioner's Blade, cutting toward Akira again.
Akira tilted his body slightly, dodging the blade.
At the same time, he lifted his left leg and whipped out a brutal kick aimed at Seito's chest.
Seito quickly raised the Executioner's Blade to block.
But Akira had already anticipated that.
His right fist clenched tightly—
Then he launched a devastating punch straight into the blade.
THUD!
The dull impact echoed loudly.
The Executioner's Blade was instantly knocked from Seito's grip. It flew several meters away, crashing through two large trees before finally coming to a stop.
Yet Akira didn't press the attack.
Instead, he quickly retreated, widening the distance between them.
Because although Seito had taken that heavy punch head-on, he wasn't seriously injured.
In fact, he had already taken the chance to retrieve his weapon.
Seito tightened his grip on the Executioner's Blade and looked at Akira.
"I didn't expect that," he said. "You actually managed to damage the Executioner's Blade so easily."
Akira shook his head.
"Just luck…"
Before he could finish speaking, Seito cut him off.
His expression twisted, killing intent blazing in his eyes.
"Whether that's true or not doesn't matter."
"Today, you die. If I let you live, you'll become the most dangerous enemy imaginable."
Akira's gaze slowly turned cold.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
Seito laughed harshly.
"Kid, the more arrogant you are, the worse you'll lose."
"I've fought on battlefields for years under the Mizukage. I've slaughtered countless enemies."
"The skills I've learned are far more terrifying than anything you can imagine."
"You're not even worth comparing to me."
As he spoke, Seito raised the Executioner's Blade high and brought it crashing down toward Akira.
The strike carried terrifying force, sending ripples through the surrounding air.
Akira didn't hesitate.
He rushed forward to meet it.
Steel clashed against steel.
Sparks exploded everywhere.
After exchanging more than a dozen moves with Seito, Akira suddenly felt something was off.
His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and an uneasy feeling crawled over his body.
Something's wrong.
His eyes narrowed.
Damn it… this guy's trying to bait me into making a mistake.
Sure enough—
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Seito seized an opening and swung his blade down violently.
The Executioner's Blade came straight for Akira's neck.
But at the last moment, the trajectory changed in a strange, unpredictable way.
The blade sliced past Akira's ear, cutting off several strands of hair from his temple.
If he hadn't reacted in time, he'd already be a corpse.
What a sly bastard.
Akira cursed inwardly.
Immediately, he switched from offense to defense, focusing entirely on blocking.
Seito raised an eyebrow.
Sharp kid. Figured it out that quickly.
In that case… I'll just finish you.
His attacks intensified instantly.
Slash after slash rained down like a storm.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dense ringing of metal echoed throughout the forest.
Their battle raged fiercely.
Every strike carried overwhelming force, snapping ancient trees around them like twigs.
They traded nearly a hundred moves.
Neither side could gain the upper hand.
No wonder he managed to defeat Kakashi-sensei… Akira thought, secretly shocked.
Moments later, Seito unleashed another powerful sweep aimed at Akira's head.
Akira quickly retreated while raising his right arm to block.
CLANG!
The crisp impact rang out.
Akira's arm instantly went numb, and he stumbled back several steps.
Damn, that hurts.
He cursed under his breath and quickly circulated chakra to ease the pain in his arm.
Meanwhile, Seito was panting heavily.
Yet a wide grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha! Looks like I've finally won!"
"You're celebrating too early."
Akira took a deep breath.
His right arm flicked forward—
A kunai shot out like a bullet.
Halfway through the air, it suddenly curved, flying straight toward Seito's throat.
"Damn it!"
Seito roared and swung the Executioner's Blade horizontally, blocking the incoming kunai.
"..."
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